


Bates Motel:  Gone.

by DreamCake



Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: Abduction, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Mental Instability, Mental Institutions, Norma is still alive, Norman Bates as Norma Bates, Personality Swap, Romance, Sibling Rivalry, Suspense, True Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-07-22 21:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7454010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamCake/pseuds/DreamCake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma vanishes without a trace and it's up to Dylan to find her. With the support of Sheriff Romero and his family will Dylan be able to find her or is she gone forever? The answer to this mystery may be closer than Dylan realizes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No One Will Hear You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Bates Motel or the characters involved in the show. I do own new created characters in this story.
> 
> Author notes – Timeframe = Season 4, a few days after Dylan informed Norma he's moving out of state.
> 
> *This fiction features Norman occasionally as Norma which is indicated by conversation in ITALICS. Nomero and Dylemma romantic relationships are involved in this story. Norma is still alive*
> 
> I welcome kudos, reviews and messages as feedback to help me continue. I'm hoping for this fiction to be a multi-chapter story, but it depends on readers. If people are not interested in reading this, then I will delete it or turn it into a one-shot.
> 
> I appreciate all of you and your input. Thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ***This story is also available on fanfiction.net***

Day 1

Emma wakes up with a loud gasp, slowly lifting her head. With blurry vision she tries to scan the room for some sort of familiarity, but she can't recognize her surroundings. In a panic, her new lungs start failing as her breathing becomes increasingly more difficult.

Pain radiates up Emma's arms as she struggles to move, quickly realizing her wrists are restrained by some sort of metal. It's no use, her wrists won't budge and all she's accomplishing is creating new bruises and slashes from the sharp edges of what she now believes are handcuffs. With the noise the restraints make when banging against the chair she seems to be secured to, there is no other conclusion.

How could this happen? None of this makes sense and even with her mind becoming less clouded as time is continuing, no amount of reasoning is helping her understand what put her in this situation.

All of a sudden a noticeable noise penetrates the quiet atmosphere. The noise is both frightening and reassuring. Frightening due to the uncertainty of the person on the other side of the door and what danger they are about to inflict on her. Reassuring only because her confusion can have an explanation and the questions encircling her mind can be answered.

In the dim environment she hears the screech of a heavy door gradually opening, causing a pinch of light to sneak through the slight crack of the door frame. Narrowing her eyes in hopes of seeing more clearly, Emma observes a tall shadow slowly approaching her. She strains her neck to look upwards to see her mysterious abductor, but they swiftly change positions to instead kneel in front of her.

Blinking a few times, her vision becomes clearer when she meets a pair of ocean blue eyes staring so intensely she has to look away. Pausing for a moment with a hitch in her breath, Emma realizes those piercing eyes are familiar. She quickly returns to the eyesight of her apparent kidnapper in confusion.

"Norman?" Emma whispers, slightly tipping her head to the right. The movement sends a sharp sting to travel up the side of her neck, causing her head to suddenly throb fiercely.

"I'm here to help you Emma." Norman responds calmly with a small, nervous smile.

Emma clears her dry throat in order to regain her full voice. "What am I doing here? What is happening?" She continues to struggle against the cuffs, only triggering more pain to vibrate throughout her body. "The person who kidnapped me could be coming back any minute. Help me find a way to get these off before whoever did this returns."

Stillness takes ahold of the room for a chilling amount of time before Norman finally breaks his silence. "I'm sorry Emma, but I can't do that."

After finally registering her friend's response, she widens her eyes in bewilderment and whispers. "What?"

"We can't let you go."

"We? I don't understand."

"You've upset mother, Emma."

Tears gradually begin to roll down her cheeks in utter disbelief. "Norma?" She whimpers. "You're not making any sense Norman. I have never done anything to hurt your mother. I would never hurt any of you."

"You're taking her son from her. That can't happen, mother won't allow it." He states sternly, clenching his jaw and forming his hands into tight fists. "I can't bear to see mother like this. She's been crying for days and it's simply killing me. You're the one responsible for her misery Emma."

Norman takes a moment to calm himself, shaking his hands loose. He then reaches toward her with his right hand, gently placing his palm to her damp left cheek. "I don't want to do this Emma, but I have no choice. Mother needs my help."

All of a sudden, Norman drops his hand from her face and rises up from his knees. He begins to leisurely pace back and forth in front of Emma with his hands clasped behind his back. "Personally, I don't understand why mother cares so much anyway. We don't need Dylan here."

Emma quietly sniffles to herself as she struggles to listen, noting Norman's unexpected change in demeanor and tone.

Norman stops abruptly in front of an emotional Emma and flashes a sinister smile. "I'm back now to protect mother after this silly Pine View nonsense. I know she only sent me there because the Sheriff manipulated her." Norman snickers eerily. "He actually thought he could take her away from me, well, that will never happen. Mother and I belong together, no one will be able to break our bond. The Sheriff doesn't understand this, but he will." The sound of cracking knuckles adds to the tension in the air. "She'll leave him now, especially after she sees the devotion I have to her."

Emma remains motionless while attempting to comprehend everything that is happening.

Norman reaches his right arm above his head, pulling the single chain hanging from the ceiling wall. The space now becomes illuminated, causing Emma to squint her eyes in an automatic reaction. She quickly glances around the room taking note of a tattered sleeping bag with pillow lying on the hard cement, the suitcase from the trunk of her car and a tiny restroom area hidden behind a thin wooden door.

Norman sighs, meeting her eye line. "This won't be forever, Emma. Everything will be over once Dylan decides to stay here with us and you agree to leave without him." He steps closer and gently sweeps the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear with his right hand. "As I said, I'm here to help you. I convinced mother to allow you some comforts. I will also be bringing you food consistently and will continually check on you." Stepping away from her, Norman's voice becomes softer. "She doesn't want to hurt you Emma, she only wants to keep her sons. Even though I don't agree with her need to have Dylan stay with us or with her method of keeping him here, I will not disappoint her."

"Please take these off." Emma pleads, tugging at the handcuffs attached through the back of the chair.

"Not yet." Norman coldly responds. "And, don't bother screaming. No one knows about this place and no one will hear you."

Realizing any rebellion at this point is useless, Emma drops her head in defeat when she hears the sound of a hefty door slam shut.

Only the sound of Emma weeping breaks the silence of her new surroundings.


	2. Taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter explains what happened prior to the first chapter. The very end of the chapter takes place more than an hour after the kidnapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, as a reminder… "Italics" = Norman as Norma.

Day 1

**_Earlier that morning…_ **

The Sheriff is awakened from his comfortable slumber by the sound of a door clicking shut. Slowly rolling over with a groan and eyes remaining sealed, he lays his right hand to the empty space next to him. With a sigh, his eyes blink open as he forces himself to sit up. As he gradually snaps out of his sleepy state he notices the clock on the bedside table display 7:15am. Since he doesn't have to be on duty until 9am this morning he was hoping for a little more rest time, but deep down he knows Norma needs his comfort right now.

After walking down the stairs, Romero follows the sound of discreet whimpers coming from the kitchen. While standing in the doorway to the room he catches a glance of Norma leaning over the sink, shoulders moving up and down slightly with each restrained cry and her hands covering her face. In seeing the scene before him, he steps close enough to touch her. Romero steadily moves his right hand toward her shoulder to assert his presence in a comforting manner. The moment Norma feels the touch of fingertips reach her body, she swiftly turns around and nuzzles her tear stained face into Romero's chest with the feeling of his arms secure around her.

"Is this about Dylan leaving today?" Romero asks quietly, keeping his voice calm in an attempt to soothe Norma.

Norma nods into his chest, continuing to sob. "Why does he want to leave me Alex?"

"This isn't about you Norma." He loosens his grip around her and gently runs his fingertips down her spine, making her shiver with the sensation.

"Emma is the one who talked him into this. Dylan has been perfectly content living here with me." She whines with a sniffle. "I always thought of Emma as a daughter. How could she do this to me and Norman?"

"Shhh, I'm here." Romero whispers, embracing her tighter in his hold. "Everything is going to be alright. Dylan has to move on with his life and Emma is simply helping him do that." He sighs. "He can't stay here forever Norma, you know that. Plus, he'll only be a few hours away."

She whimpers into his shirt. "Why does he always want to leave me?"

"He's not leaving you Norma. You'll always be his mother." Romero feels her cuddle into his arms even more after hearing his words of encouragement. "I know this day is going to be difficult for you since he's leaving today, so why don't you meet me downtown and we'll have lunch together?"

Norma forces a smile, while Romero uses his index finger to gently tilt her chin upward, sweetly placing a kiss her forehead. "I would like that," she whispers, then reaches her right hand to the left side of his face. "Let me make you breakfast." He nods with a smile in response.

No one notices the curious shadow eavesdropping from the kitchen doorway, or the quick footsteps leading upstairs when the emotional conversation comes to an end.

After finishing the delicious breakfast Norma had made for him, Romero decides it's time to get ready for his shift. While changing into his uniform, he taps the sides of his police belt to ensure all equipment is attached. Unfortunately, he notices something is missing. Immediately, the Sheriff frantically searches the bedroom for the missing item. After fifteen frustrating minutes of searching, he shouts for assistance. "Norma!"

The sound of hurried steps comes closer to the bedroom door before a visually concerned Norma rushes in the room. "What happened?" She asks with barely any breath in her voice.

"Have you seen my handcuffs?"

XXXX

"Norman! Are you up there sweetie?" Norma shouts from the bottom of the stairs, purse in hand.

The sound of a door opening and the scampering of feet respond to the shouting from the top of the staircase. "Yes mother?"

"Honey, I'm going to go into town for a little while. I will probably be back in a few hours. Are you going to be okay here by yourself? If you want me to stay with you-"

Before she could finish her thought, Norman abruptly interrupted. "No, you go ahead. I'll be fine Mother." He smirks, already having a plan gradually formulating in his head ever since overhearing the conversation that took place in the kitchen a few hours before. He shakes his head once, trying to clear his mind of the horrific plan he has been creating in his thoughts all morning. The internal struggle between good and evil is little by little pulling him apart. To ease his mother's pain, will he have to cause agony to another person he holds dear to his heart?

"Okay, I just worry sweetie. You only just returned from Pine View a week ago. I don't want you to be overwhelmed, especially with the news of your brother leaving today." She says with a small hitch in her voice and a tear dropping to her cheek which she swiftly wipes away.

All of a sudden with seeing his mother's tear, Norman begins to have a strange feeling overcome him. A sensation he can't explain, but knows he's experience before. He almost feels as though his mind is swimming when a wave of dizziness hits him. To steady himself, he grasps the top of the banister in a tight grip then clears his throat. He ultimately chokes out a response with little breath in his lungs. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Norma flashes a small smile, oblivious to her son's inner torment. "Okay, I'll be back. I love you Norman."

"I love you too mother."

With hearing the front door shut, Norman stumbles into his room and falls onto his bed. Squeezing his eyes shut, he attempts to come back to reality but it's no use. He feels himself slipping away.

After a few minutes, his eyes snap open but the rest of his body remains still.

Almost an hour passes by. Norman now finds himself staring at the ceiling, a position he has been in for the entire time. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he breaks himself free of his stare and sits up automatically with a twitch.

Grabbing his phone sitting on top of his nightstand, he hurriedly scrolls through his contacts until he finds the number he has been searching for. A stream of calmness washes over him as he presses the call button on the screen.

"Hello." A female voice answers.

_"_ _Hello Emma. I was hoping you could stop over to the house soon. I thought we would have a proper goodbye before you leave today."_

The voice sounds different, but according to her phone's display Norman is the person on the other line. Instead of being suspicious, she convinces herself it's just a bad connection. "Norman? Is Norma there too? I'd like to see both of you."

_"_ _Oh yes of course dear. We'll both be here."_

There's a long pause on the other line. _Dear?_ Emma reacts with wide eyes in confusion. In all the time knowing Norman she has never heard him even use that word. Something is not right, but she silently reminds herself Norman is going through a difficult time now. The news of his friend and brother moving out of state is probably not helping the situation. "Umm, I can be there in ten minutes."

_"_ _Sounds perfect. I will see you soon."_

XXXX

True to her word, Emma indeed arrives in the matter of minutes.

Impatiently watching her climb the many outside steps, Norman swings the front door open with a grin embedded on his face. _"_ _Emma it's so wonderful seeing you honey. Please come in."_

A moment of silence passes as she once again is startled by Norman's usage of another term of endearment, but she shrugs it off as stress. "Ah, um, thank you," she stutters while following Norman into the kitchen.

_"_ _Would you like some coffee?"_

"Sure." She sighs, "I didn't get much sleep last night and I need to stay awake so I can follow Dylan to our new place in Seattle." Emma continues to ramble, still feeling a little uncomfortable with Norman's new vocabulary. "My dad moved there a few days ago to set things up for us. Luckily, he called from his new cell phone this morning to give us the address or we would be driving around Seattle aimlessly." She pauses for a second, looking down at the steaming cup of coffee placed in front of her. "Um, I didn't see Dylan's truck out there. He isn't here?"

Norman crosses his legs while sitting a little too close for Emma's comfort. _"_ _Well, no he isn't here. Why would he be?"_

"We got in a fight last night." She edges her chair back slightly to reset her boundaries. "It escalated and resulted in him stomping out of the house and slamming the door behind him. I thought he stayed here last night."

_"_ _No, sorry honey he hasn't been home. What happened?"_

No longer fazed by Norman's unusual behavior, Emma picks up the mug set in front of her and takes an initial sip, wincing at the slight burn on her tongue. "I swear it was an innocent question." She whispers, continuing to slowly drink her coffee as she gets used to the temperature. "But, I suppose he's a little anxious about this move. Anyway, I haven't heard from him yet and we should be leaving soon. I know I could call or text him, but I think it's best to wait until he contacts me."

_"_ _What was the question?"_

"I asked him if he was making the right decision by moving out of state with me. He took my question completely wrong and jumped to the conclusion that I don't want him to move anymore, which couldn't be further from the truth. Of course I want him with me." She clears her throat, hesitating to continue. "I haven't told him I love him. I should've last night because I do, but for some reason when he says it to me I can't find the words. Maybe my question made him doubt how much I truly care about him."

_"_ _Oh sweetie. Maybe you know deep down that he's not the right one for you."_

Suddenly, Emma's eyelids start to become heavy, as if they are filled with lead. "What?" She responds slurring her speech a tad. With her arms starting to lose their strength, she drops the coffee cup from her grasp to the floor with a crash. The impact causes the mug to break apart, sending shards across the kitchen floor surface along with the residual liquid it held inside.

The right side of Norman's mouth begins to curl upward into a sly smile. _"_ _Are you alright honey?"_

With any remaining power she has left, Emma reaches her fingertips to apply pressure to her forehead in attempt to steady the spinning room she is experiencing. "I think I need to lay down Norman."

_"_ _Norman? He's not here right now."_

Only hearing muffled sounds now, Emma collapses to ground with a thump.

_"_ _Finally."_ Norman states, sharply rising from his chair with a small snicker. Hurriedly, he grabs a broom and starts sweeping up the broken pieces from Emma's mug. To hide any evidence of the incident, Norman puts the broom back into its place and then uses a towel to wipe up any liquid sticking to the floor.

Satisfied with his thorough cleanup, Norman strolls to where an unconscious Emma rests. With a smirk, he bends down close to her ear and whispers. _"_ _You can't take my son."_

XXXX

**_Over an Hour Later…_ **

Dylan stares blankly at the screen of his cell phone. Almost an hour has passed since reading the latest message from Emma.

After the millionth time of reading the same words over and over again, he's still in shock. Confusion, anger and sadness have now consumed his soul while his head begins to throb uncontrollably. He's left broken… heartbroken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking this story one chapter at a time to see if people are still interested, so I don't have spoilers listed like I did in my two previous stories. I welcome feedback. Feel free to leave a comment or kudos. Thank you everyone!


	3. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reactions from Dylan and his family regarding Emma's departure. Emma reveals her true feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reminder… "Italics" = Norman as Norma

Day 1

Hours have passed. Dylan has watched the light sky disappear, leaving behind only darkness.

Sitting in the truck with a bottle of vodka in his right hand and a phone secured tightly in his left, the sadness Dylan has felt since reading the message has now turned into anger. His thoughts have grown confusing, a mixture of rage toward Emma and the feeling of self-hate for how he handled the situation the previous night.

The argument with Emma last night wasn't supposed to result in the ending of their relationship, but according to the message he received that's exactly what it meant to her and there is no way of fixing it. Dylan has to accept she's gone, no matter how much his heart aches at the moment. He'll have to move on with his life, just as he always has. Dealing with loss and abandonment has become a way of life for him.

Though this time is different somehow. It hurts more.

Dylan was so close to happiness, but it once again has slipped through his fingers. And now, he's left to pick up the pieces of his heart and carry on.

Well, maybe he'll start his life over tomorrow… After he finishes the bottle of vodka clutched in his hand. He deserves a night to wallow in self-pity and hate.

Dylan shakes his head a few times and drunkenly lifts the bottle to his eye level in order to examine it. Realizing he can't possibly finish the last quarter of the previous filled liquid bottle without passing out, he throws it to the floor of the passenger side with a loud crashing noise as it falls and breaks apart. Broken glass now litters the surface and the strong smell of vodka fills the inside of his truck.

"Whatever," Dylan mumbles to himself, noticing the mess he's created. He then tosses his phone on the passenger seat cushion to free his hands. Gripping the wheel tight enough to display white knuckles, Dylan leans over slightly to touch his forehead to the top of the steering wheel. After taking a few deep breaths, he sits up straighter and contemplates his next move.

Since his mind is hazy at the moment, cluttered with a mixture of vodka and resentment, he doesn't think twice about his or the safety of others. Instead, he fumbles with the keys to his truck and turns the ignition on, causing the sound of a roaring motor to break the relatively quiet atmosphere.

Floating his truck from one side of the road to the other, crossing the center line several times, Dylan finally reaches the parking lot to his mother's motel safely without issue. Luckily, the road leading to the Bates Motel is desolate and virtually untraveled.

Lost in his muddled thoughts, he doesn't notice his truck is now parked almost completely sideways upon his exit. Ironically, the truck is situated partially blocking the back end of the perfectly parked Sheriff's squad.

Stumbling up the first few steps of the long outdoor stair case, Dylan stops for a moment to seriously reconsider his long journey to the front door. "Damn. Was there always this many steps?" He slurs quietly to himself as he decides to continue to push forward until he finally successfully arrives at his destination.

XXXX

The Sheriff returns home after an especially long day at the department. His attitude has declined steadily throughout the day and now he's downright annoyed.

He should have known his day was doomed from the start after losing his handcuffs this morning. The embarrassment hit hard today after he had to hunt down a spare pair at the station. Most likely this was the talk of the department today. His intention now is to spend this evening searching the house from top to bottom until he finds his mysterious disappearing cuffs. They couldn't have disappeared into thin air.

After turning his key into the front door lock he discovers the door is already unlocked. Countless times he's lectured Norma to lock the door for safety, but once again his words have gone unheard. Her carelessness regarding his concerns just adds to his frustration level. But, all of his irritation quickly dissolves when he rounds the corner to discover Norma cuddled under a blanket with a box of Kleenex sitting on her lap. It's obvious she is still upset about her son's move and is overwhelmed with emotions.

After securing the front door, the Sheriff drops his keys in a bowl which startles Norma, causing her to flinch. She tries to hide the Kleenex box under the blanket and immediately attempts to silence her sniffles to hide her sadness, but it's too late.

"Oh Alex, I wasn't expecting you home so soon. You said you would have to work late tonight." She says with a shaky voice, quickly swiping her right hand across her face to clear any lingering tears from her cheeks.

Alex rushes to her side and sits down next to her, instantly wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "You don't need to hide anything from me Norma. I know you're upset. I'm just sorry our talk at lunch didn't help."

Norma snuggles her face into his shoulder. "I promise our talk helped. I guess this is just a tough day for me." Her sad eyes meet his with a whimper. "I honestly thought he would stay. All day I've been holding out hope that he'll walk through the door and announce he's staying with us, but deep down I know he's gone." Alex's arms tighten around her, causing her lean her head against his chest. "So, I've been sitting here for a while now, trying to accept all of this and I've realized something."

"What have you realized?"

Norma sits up and once again meets his eye line with her reddened, puffy blue eyes. "I only want him to be happy in his life and Emma gives him that happiness."

Alex moves his hands to cover her cheeks with his palms, and then pulls her face towards his to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "I'm proud of you," he whispers.

XXXX

Almost an hour passes…

Norma remains locked in the embrace of her new husband, sitting in comfortable silence. Their tranquility is all of a sudden interrupted with a loud thud at the front door, causing the couple to wince. The Sheriff, still dressed in his full law enforcement uniform, untangles his arms from his wife and jumps to his feet as an automatic reaction. "Where's Norman? Could that be him?"

Norma shakes her head from side to side dramatically and answers with panic in her voice. "He's in his room sleeping."

"Alright, stay here." Alex instructs sternly in a loud whisper as he presses the switch to his gun holster, freeing the handle for quick access if needed.

Approaching the front door with caution, the Sheriff hears more unusual noises radiating from the area. The strange sounds prompt him to grasp for the handle to his weapon and release it from its protected case on his hip. With his arms in a low ready position and gun secured tight in his right hand, he slowly walks heel to toe in a slightly crouching position toward the potential danger.

Suddenly the door aggressive swings open, revealing a noticeably intoxicated Dylan stumbling through the doorway. "Jesus. Do you always wear that thing?" He slurs with a chuckle after observing the Sheriff's weapon aimed at his chest. Dylan appears unfazed by the appearance of the gun. In fact, Instead of fear he pushes past the stunned Sheriff and staggers toward the staircase leading upstairs.

Hearing her son's shocking voice, Norma quickly throws her blanket off her lap and rushes to the staircase. "Oh my God, Dylan!" She shrieks with both excitement and confusion.

Dylan ignores the screams of his mother and continues to trip up the stairs with surprising speed, grasping the banister with a death grip in order to avoid falling.

Norma's face drops, causing a frown to appear. "Dylan? Honey? Are you alright?" She receives no response to her pleas. Instead, she continues to witness her son move further away until he completely disappears upstairs.

Determined to find the cause of her son's unexpected return, Norma tries to move past her husband who is inconveniently blocking her access to the stairs.

Alex takes ahold of her waist and keeps her immobile, preventing her from reaching the steps. "Whoa, you can't go up there," he advises in a calming undertone.

"What? Get off of me Alex!" She shouts, struggling against his grip. "He's my son. I need to see him!"

"I'm doing you a favor Norma. He clearly needs time to be by himself. Besides he's completely intoxicated, you'll never get a straight answer out of him."

"Let go Alex. I'm warning you!" She sasses causing him to loosen his grip a bit. Taking advantage of the change in power, she breaks free of his control and runs upstairs. Racing after her, Alex takes two steps at a time, eventually catching up to his distraught wife just prior to her approaching Dylan's shut door.

As a last ditch effort, Alex extends his left arm and rests the palm of his hand to the small of her back. "Stop Norma. It's best to leave him alone right now." He then steps closer toward her, moving his left hand further to reach around her slim waist. Upon instinct, she leans her back into his chest for comfort. Breathlessly, he whispers into her ear. "I'm sure he'll come to you and explain everything, but right now let him be."

Norma abruptly pulls herself out of his hold. "Hush! This is none of your business!" She turns to face him, squinting her eyes in anger. "He's my son, not yours!"

Admitting defeat, Alex takes a step backwards and raises his hands in front of him as a sign of surrender. Norma smirks in her win, but then instantly feels guilty for her choice of words. Her sneer turns into a smile. "I love you," she says sweetly as she touches his cheek with her right hand. He nods in acknowledgement.

Norma then turns her attention back to her eldest son's door, knocking softly. "Dylan? I just want to talk." After receiving no response, she gradually opens the door to see Dylan lying on his stomach with the right side of his face nuzzled into his pillow. At first sight, Norma can't help but look upon him with the fond gaze only a mother can provide her child, but this quickly changes into a look of concern. The stench of alcohol continues to grow stronger the closer she steps toward her son.

A small light placed on a nearby table illuminates the side of Dylan's exposed face, while soft snores provide the only sound in the otherwise tranquil room. Norma grabs a blanket that is hung on the back of a chair set in the corner of his bedroom. Carefully, she covers her son to ensure he's comfortable and then takes a seat next to him on the bed. Gently, she rubs his back with her right hand while contemplating the reason for him returning home.

While looking down at Dylan's sleeping face, she notices his left hand clasped firmly around a phone. She cautiously lifts his fingers away from the object one by one until finally she is holding the cell in her hands. By accident, Norma touches the screen causing it to brighten instantly. Because of her nosy nature, she couldn't help but glance at the words now displayed. Sorrow for her son consumes her as she reads the message…

**_"_ ** **_As you read this message, you should know I'm already gone. I wish I could love you Dylan, but I just can't. We don't belong together and I think with time you will see this as clearly as I do. I'm sorry to hurt you and please believe me when I say it was never my intention to. Please don't try to contact me. - Emma"_ **

A tear slowly falls down her cheek as she reads the text again, believing she somehow read it incorrectly. A discreet voice sounds from the open doorway, pulling her eyes away from the screen. "Norma?"

"Oh Alex, my poor son." She whimpers as she stands up from next to her son and hurries into the Sheriff's embrace.

"What happened?"

"Look." Norma directs as she shoves the phone into her husband's hands, still displaying the upsetting message. "How could she do this to him!? She broke his heart!" She begins to sob uncontrollably now, barely able to speak. "Oh God, what if he doesn't come back from this?"

"Take a deep breath for me Norma and calm down. You'll wake him." She nods vigorously and inhales deeply, while he scans the message. A sympathetic look appears on his face as he glances over her shaky shoulders to see a passed out Dylan lying motionless. He leans his head downward and kisses the top of her head, in order to help soothe her. "Shhh Norma. I promise, everything will be alright."

After receiving the brief comfort she needed, Norma returns to her son's side. Leaning over his sleeping form, she reaches her fingertips to his cheek and then moves to smoothly stroke his hair. "My beautiful boy. I'm so sorry honey," she silently cries into his ear. A brief motherly kiss is placed on her eldest son's left cheek before she turns off the small lamp on the nearby table. Alex then takes her hand in his and leads her out of the darkened bedroom, closing the door behind them.

XXXX

Hours have passed Emma believes, but there is no way to tell how many. It feels like she's been stuck in this jail-like cave for days, but realistically she knows that's not the case.

Looking on the bright side of this horrendous ordeal, Norman has at least kept his promise of removing the handcuffs previously secured around her delicate wrists. Unfortunately as a result of those uncomfortable restraints multiple bruises and bloodied cuts now litter her skin, leaving behind a painful reminder of her struggle. Trying to ease the discomfort of her injury she consistently massages the inflicted areas hoping for some sort of relief, but the pain never stops.

Emma has spent her time alone thinking of nothing else but Dylan's beautiful face, hoping somehow he'll find her. It serves as a peaceful distraction for the most part. All she wants to do is jump into his strong arms, kiss him and tell him exactly how much she truly loves him. She has been mentally kicking herself for never reciprocating the three little words he continually offered to her. Despite never repeating those special words to Dylan, she feels completely consumed with love for him and has felt this way ever since their first kiss. The reason why she has never told him is admittedly embarrassing.

Basically, ever since being with him, she's never really felt worthy of being his girlfriend. In her heart-filled eyes, she has always felt like his admirer versus an equal partner in their relationship. She is truly lucky to have him, but does she still have him? It shakes her to the core to realize she may never be able to tell him exactly how much she cares for him.

Currently, Emma is perched on the same chair she was previously attached to by a pair of harsh and painful handcuffs. A plate filled with a stale turkey sandwich balances on her unsteady lap while she slowly nibbles tiny bites to minimally satisfy her hunger. Her mind insists she's not ravenous, but her stomach betrays her by continually rumbling.

After finally calming the hunger pains in her tummy, she sets her plate containing the now half-eaten sandwich onto the ground. Within minutes of finishing her food, she doesn't feel quite right. Her head starts to feel a little fuzzy and she can feel herself swaying a tad. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she tries to focus but is failing. Her body feels tired, even though she's putting all her effort into remaining alert. To prevent herself from falling off the chair, she pries herself into a slouchy standing position and stumbles toward the unrolled, flat sleeping bag that is situated on the cold ground. Upon reaching Norman's self-made sleeping arrangements, Emma collapses and drops her head on the provided uncomfortable pillow.

All of a sudden, a banging sound vibrates throughout the thick walls of her prison. Even through her exhaustion she can still feel her heart begin to race and her breathing become more irregular.

Emma views a pair of familiar shoes stomp closer to her until they stop abruptly in front of her sleepy body. Norman then kneels down in an attempt to get down to her level. He reaches his hand toward her face and softly strokes her cheek. She flitters her eyes open at the touch of his fingertips, wishing she had the strength to overpower her previous boyfriend and run to freedom. Sadly, her muscles are too exhausted to move.

_"_ _Sleep now, dear Emma. Norman will bring you some breakfast in the morning."_

Emma's sleepy state doesn't allow her to comprehend the clue within the sentence he's just spoken.

Realizing there had to be some sort of drug hidden within the sandwich she half consumed, she tries to shout but her words come out as barely a whisper. "Norman! What did you give me!?"

_"_ _Norman is sleeping right now, just as you should be honey. You need to rest, so close your eyes."_

Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, they finally close to welcome darkness.

Tonight, Emma's dreams will be filled with the hopes that Dylan will soon find her.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry, still no spoilers yet. I'd like to make sure people enjoy reading this before I map out a plan for this fiction. Thank you everyone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want me to continue? Let me know. I'm on the fence at this point. Thank you!


	4. Where Am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dylan feels the consequences of his behavior from yesterday, leading to an unwanted conversation. A secret is exposed and Emma makes an unbelievable discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Spoilers for the next chapter listed below

Day 2

The next morning Dylan stirs from his slumber, blinking his eyes several times at a rapid rate before finally opening them. He groans into his pillow, instantly feeling the consequence of his choices from the previous night. Slowly rolling onto his back, a sharp pain radiates in his brain causing him to wince in discomfort. In an attempt to calm the pain, he raises his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, but it's no use, the throbbing sting is still present.

With a deep inhale, Dylan covers his face with both hands and huffs out another loud groan. He doesn't want to deal with today. He especially doesn't want to deal with the questions he'll receive from his mother, but since they will be living under the same roof again, he doesn't have the ability to avoid her for long.

After letting out an exaggerated yawn and stretching his tired muscles, Dylan swings his legs over the side of the bed slowly, careful not to disturb the pain already evident in his head. Pausing for a moment, he wills himself to stand up and make his way to take a shower.

When Dylan reaches the hallway, he peeks around the corner to ensure no one is around. He's not ready for a confrontation yet. With seeing the hall empty, he drags his feet and proceeds to take a shower in attempt to become less zombie-like. Hopefully, the cold water will wake him enough to help him to face the impending doom of a probable confrontational conversation.

Dylan has convinced himself Norma has played a part in Emma's sudden departure, making him lose the need for pleasantries with his mother. Once he's actually in the right mind-set, he'll be ready for an explosive clash of hostility and resentment.

XXXX

Norma has been waiting for Dylan to wake up for hours now. When the clock in the kitchen strikes noon, there still is no sign of movement from upstairs. She's starting to panic.

Taking a deep breath, she shakily and quietly steps up the staircase. Once she reaches her eldest son's door, Norma leans in and presses her right ear to the thin wood. To her relief, she hears soft snores from within the room barely infiltrate her eardrum. With a small smile, she tip toes down the stairs and steps back into the kitchen. As she sits on one of the kitchen chairs, she allows her conflicting thoughts to once again consume her. Mentally, she's been preparing for her conversation with her upset son for hours.

About an hour later, the sound of a creaking door snaps her out of her daydreaming. In order to follow every sound from the upstairs area, she sits without movement, in complete silence. A minute later, she hears the sound of the shower running.

Norma instantly jolts up from her chair and rushes to the kitchen phone to make a call.

The person on the other end answers immediately.

"Norma? Is everything okay?" The soothing tone of her husband's voice helps to calm her nerves somewhat.

"He's awake Alex." She whispers with a small hitch in her words. "Can you come home? I don't know if I can talk with him about this on my own."

Romero doesn't think twice about being by her side in her time of need. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Norma lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding upon hearing her husband's words of support. "I love you," she says breathlessly, unaware Romero had already ended the call in urgency.

Dylan feels a burst of newfound energy after the brief cold shower he had taken. Of course the water won't erase or simply wash off the events of yesterday, but at least it assists him in resembling a human again. Drinking almost the entire contents of an oversized bottle of vodka, which happened to be glued to his hand for a good portion of the night, was a very bad idea.

The overwhelming feeling of dread fills Dylan's body, knowing he will inevitably run into his mother at some point today. He isn't ready to face her, or his younger brother for that matter. Maybe if he can escape the house without running into one of his meddlesome family members, he will have the chance to cool down a bit. Right now all of his anger is focused on his mother, even though subconsciously he knows she doesn't deserve all of his rage.

Another level of anxiety hits him when he realizes his keys are missing. It will be hard to break out of the little fortress of solitude he's created for himself without them. With the extensive search of all the pockets in his crumpled jeans and jacket from last night, no keys are found. "Damn it!" He snarls in frustration. "Where the hell are they?"

After leaving no space unsearched in his bedroom, he lets out a long breath and prepares himself to head downstairs. There's a slim chance that he dropped them on the stairwell, by the front door or even outside. Who knows where his keys could be at this point? He wasn't exactly in his right mind last night, a fact he's been mentally kicking himself for ever since waking up with a massive hangover today.

Dylan bites the inside of his cheek as he gradually pushes his bedroom door open and again glances around the corner into the hallway. No one appears to be around, so he walks out into the hall and heads to the stairs. He attempts to be quiet, but with the heavy boots on his feet right now it's pretty difficult to be silent.

Since being discreet in his escape seems to be impossible, Dylan decides to run down the stairs instead. The faster he gets out of there, the better. With every step he scurries down, Dylan begins to feel increasingly more vulnerable. Due to the anticipation and anxiety he's currently experiencing regarding his mother, he can feel his heart ache and his chest start to constrict, lessening his lung capacity.

Once he reaches the first floor he wastes no time inspecting the area near the stairwell, but he finds nothing. Quickly he moves to the foyer, but again there isn't any sign of the keys. He's just about to touch the handle to the front door to continue his search outside, when he hears a meek voice call his name, causing him to freeze in place.

"Dylan. Honey, can you come here for a moment." Norma says just loud enough for her son to hear, in the sweetest tone possible.

With a roll of his eyes, he steps away from the door and hauls his feet slowly to the other room. Shaking the tension from his fingertips, he takes a deep breath and consciously repeats a mantra in his thoughts. 'Don't lose control… Stay calm…' However, the words leave his mind immediately when he sees his mother standing in the kitchen, with nervous hands.

"It's best we don't talk right now. I just need to find my keys and then I'm leaving," he warns.

"Sweetie, I just want to make sure you're okay. It must be terribly upsetting to not have the strong feelings you feel for Emma returned to you. I want you to know your brother and I will be here for you, well, and of course Alex too." Norma smiles pleasantly, stepping slowly and carefully toward her son. Once she's close enough, she reaches her hand for him as a sign of comfort and reassurance.

Dylan immediately steps backward, waving off his mother's sign of affection. "How do you know that?" Feeling caught off guard and angry with his mother's meddlesome behavior, Dylan's hands unconsciously start to form fists at his sides. "How do you know that's why? I've never said that to you."

Norma clears her throat, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice. "I, um…"

"Stop stalling Norma! How do you know!?" Dylan yells wildly through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth.

Her eyes are drawn to the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with her clearly distressed son. "Well, honey. I saw the text she sent you," she whispers with her bottom lip trembling.

"Damn! You literally can't help yourself! What the fuck is the matter with you!?" He roars in fury, until he is suddenly jerked backwards by one of his biceps and practically dragged into a different room, stumbling over his feet slightly.

"Enough!" Romero hollers sternly while turning Dylan around in order to face him.

Dylan tries to pry his arm free, but the Sheriff has a claw-like death grip around his muscle. "Get off of me!"

"We need to have a chat Massett." Romero advises, leading Dylan further away from the kitchen and closer to the dining room. "Now, sit!"

With still feeling the effects of his hangover from last night's alcohol binge, he reluctantly takes a seat when Romero releases his arm. Dylan then leans over and rests his elbows on his knees, clutching his head with both hands, not wanting to hear the lecture he's about to receive from his so-called new stepfather.

Silence fills the room, besides the faint whimpering sounds of his distraught mother in the other room.

After a pause which seems to last an eternity, the Sheriff finally breaks the stillness in the air. "You need to calm down. You can't speak to her that way, do you understand?"

Romero remains standing, towering over the younger man. Dylan feels uncomfortable with the current arrangement, but stays seated due to his head pounding even worse after the confrontation with his mother.

Noticing the young man's demeanor, the Sheriff composes himself and begins to pace back and forth slowly before stopping abruptly in front of Dylan. Romero has never been in the "father-type" role before. Typically, he would be treating this situation as if he's conducting some sort of investigation, but this time is different. He has to be patient and reassuring, not overbearing and accusatory which he had been in all the other situations he's ever faced over the years.

After taking a deep breath, he glances at his new stepson who is obviously defeated and attempts to speak in a soft, more comforting tone. "I understand you're upset. I've actually been in a similar situation myself. I thought for a while my feelings for Norma weren't going to be shared, but…"

Dylan immediately looks up to meet the Sheriff's eye line with a disgusted look on his face. "Are you kidding me right now? I don't want to hear this." With narrowed eyes he grumbles, "Jesus. You're awful at this."

Even though Romero was not meant to hear Dylan's sarcastic words, he did which is now making him feel insecure about how he's handling this whole situation. He's trying his best to help, but obviously he's failing. "Awful at what?"

Dylan pauses and then curls up the right side of his lips into a smirk. "At trying to give this father/son pep-talk, or whatever this is."

Romero actually stutters out of nervousness, something he's probably never done in his life. "I'm just giving you a different perspective."

"Well, don't. I'm fine. How do you know about any of this anyway?" Dylan sighs out of irritation after he hears his mother's sniffles. "Never mind, I already know the answer. Damn, this family is so fucking nosey. Why can't all of you just leave me alone!? This isn't any of your business!"

The tension and confidence in the Sheriff's tone returns, he snaps. "It is our business if you're going to be living here. You need to show your mother some respect."

Dylan chuckles. "Oh God, now you're trying to give me a father/son lecture. Just save it. I've had three fathers in my life, all of who have tried to give me some sort of tough talk. I'm not interested and I definitely don't need a fourth dad bossing me around." As soon as he mutters this, his eyes open wide in disbelief at his own words. How could he mention his complicated dad issue? The fact his uncle is also his father is not something he wants advertised, it's embarrassing. Maybe by some miracle the Sheriff didn't comprehend the last part of his outburst.

Much to Dylan's relief, Romero doesn't acknowledge the young man's previous statement. Instead, the Sheriff continues on with his inadequate parenting speech, only sighing out of exasperation when he realizes his stepson clearly is not listening. "Look, I'll make this very simple for you. Get your attitude in check. Do you understand!?"

"Well, I'll make this very simple for you then too. Stay out of my business. That goes for mother dearest in there too." Dylan says motioning toward the kitchen while standing up from his chair. "Oh and I know she had something to do with Emma leaving. I will find out what happened."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know deep down she had nothing to do with any of this. Sure, Norma may be a little nosy at times, but in the end she wants you and your brother to be happy."

"No, she wants Norman to be happy. I'm just the person she needs around to do her dirty work. Well, she got exactly what she wanted, I'm stuck here." Dylan is itching to leave this uncomfortable conversation, so he begins to step toward the front door. Pausing for a moment, he turns to glance at the Sheriff. "Just so you know, I didn't want to deal with any of this today. I only wanted to get out of here, but I can't find my fucking keys."

Romero smirks as he points to a large decorated bowl resting on a table near the front door. "Next time don't park your truck sideways. Blocking a police squad doesn't win any brownie points with the Sheriff." Dylan scuffs at the statement, grabs his keys from the bowl and strides toward the door when he faintly hears Romero continue. "I'd rather be working a death investigation than search your room again."

Once he hears the door shut behind Dylan, the Sheriff walks back into the kitchen to comfort a still weeping Norma. "I think that went well," he grins, using a sarcastic tone.

Feeling the embrace of her husband, Norma leans into his chest seeking security which she receives eagerly. Alex then leans down to kiss the top of her head with a puzzled look on his face, remembering a certain portion of the heated banter with his stepson. "Norma, what did your son mean when he said he had three fathers and didn't want a fourth?" He instantly feels her body tense in his arms. Due to Norma's apprehensive response to his question, the Sheriff braces himself for yet another difficult conversation today.

XXXX

Emma slowly blinks her eyes open, immediately feeling pressure radiate from her head and neck. Through squinted eyes, she doesn't immediately recognize where she is. Fear overwhelms her. With a hitch in her breath, suddenly everything from the previous day floods her mind.

She's been kidnapped.

There's no way to tell what time it is at this point besides the appearance of a bowl containing a large helping of cold oatmeal and a plate filled with a turkey sandwich set on the floor near her. It must be the afternoon.

An annoying sliver of light shines directly in her eyes upon sitting up slowly but surely from the sleeping bag which still remains under a portion of her exhausted and sore body. The peculiar illumination causes her to tightly squeeze her eyes shut and automatically lift her right hand to shield her face. At first she ignores the light, but then the wheels in her head start to turn and immediately she feels a strong sense of hope. Why didn't she notice this before?

Willing her body to move, she sluggishly struggles to move into a standing position and drags her feet to the origin of the light. Her muscles ache from her sleeping arrangement on the floor and her head pounds still feeling the effects of whatever drugs Norman or Norma slipped into her food last night.

Letting out a small whimper, she finally reaches her destination. Emma gently lifts her hand and touches her fingertips to the surface of what she previously thought was a part of the chipping dark gray painted wall. To her surprise, the material isn't plaster at all. Instead, it is painted wood with a tiny flaw.

With a slight grin she walks to the middle of the room, grabs the chair she was previously attached to and drags it behind her. Carefully standing on the unsteady chair she traces the outline of a rectangle. Immediately she notices this is simply a piece of wood fastened over what appears to be a rickety window. Excitement fills her soul trying to figure out how to unscrew the rusted screws holding this piece in place. At least she may be able to figure out where she's being imprisoned. Maybe she can even recognize where she is.

Gaining some strength due to endorphins now kicking in, Emma jumps down from the wobbly chair and rushes to her suitcase. At least she has her bag with her, there has to be something in there to help with her new mission. As she searches her items, her heart races faster and paranoia sets in. She can't get caught. Constantly looking over her shoulder to hear for any signs, she hears none.

The odd part of this place is Emma is able to hear noises coming from the outside, which if she times things right, could give her enough time to conceal her current secret task. The downside is, she can't yell for help. Norman is right… no one will hear her.

While continuing to search her suitcase, her mind drifts to Dylan. He'll know she's missing, he loves her. Plus, her father will certainly realize his only daughter is missing when there is a lack of communication. This thought helps to comfort her.

Though there is a big problem, amongst the many others she's dealing with right now. Emma is the only person who knows her dad's new cell phone number and address. She never got the chance to tell Dylan. The slight smile that has been consuming her lips now begins to disappear and doubt floats to the surface. What if no one finds her?

Pushing the bad thoughts to the side for now, she focuses her sole attention back to the important task at hand. She's been wasting too much time thinking of all the possibilities. Now simply isn't the time for those hypothetical negative conclusions.

Finally after several minutes of hunting for anything useful, her fingers touch something buried at the bottom of her suitcase. Quickly, she pulls the item from her bag and inspects it a little closer… a nail file. The tips are rounded, but the sides are straight edged. This could work she thinks to herself proudly.

Now functioning on pure adrenaline, Emma stands up from the concrete floor and rushes to the shaky chair again. Cautiously, she steps onto the chair and rests her left palm on the rough wall to steady herself for a moment while using her right hand to lift the nail file. Biting down on her bottom lip to release some tension, she holds her breath steady as she carefully, yet forcefully fits the edge of the nail file into the grove on top of the bottom right screw. Even though the file doesn't want to fit at first, Emma is determined to make this work so she continues to force the item in until she finally accomplishes her goal.

Emma wastes no time in her attempts to release the attachment. To her delight, the screw actually begins to turn. It's not a fast process, but her idea seems to be working. Her weakened muscles are growing tired, but she continues to push forward as the attachment moves further and further out of the wall. Because an unwanted visitor could enter at any time, Emma only loosens the bolt enough to peak through the small crack she's created for herself. It's not the best view since only a tiny gap is available, but it's just enough for her to see through the hazy window to the outside.

Emma's eyes open wide and her mouth falls open as she stares through the filthy glass in disbelief. "Oh my God," she exclaims with a loud gasp.

She knows exactly where she is.

At the moment of her shocking discovery, a noise from the other side of the door echoes throughout her little prison. The collection of sound stunts her breathing and causes every muscle in her body to freeze in fear.

He's here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Spoilers: The location where Emma is being held is revealed and Dylan gains a moment of clarity which causes him to make a decision that will change everything.
> 
> *Please help me out. Let me know how I'm doing by leaving a comment or adding kudos. Thank you in advance!


	5. Mother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma takes a chance, but what are the consequences? Dylan makes a decision that will change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 takes place the same day as the previous chapter. Also, as a reminder… "Italics" = Norman as Norma. *Warning- Violence is included in this chapter  
> *Spoilers listed below for chapter 6
> 
> *As always, please help me out! I love hearing from readers. I appreciate feedback from comments and kudos. These help keep me motivated to push this fiction forward. I hope people are enjoying this story so far…

Day 2

Emma's eyes open wide and her mouth falls open as she gazes through the filthy glass in disbelief. "Oh my God," she exclaims with a loud gasp.

In peering through the tiny space between the wall and the thin wood, Emma sees a familiar scene before her. Reacting in shock, her unsteady legs bend out of weakness which causes the chair to wobble beneath her. Luckily, she leans forward on the wall to steady herself again.

Straining her right eye to see further off into the distance, Emma notices a recognizable dark blue truck parked in an equally familiar parking lot. The truck is barely a speck from where she stands, but it is most definitely her boyfriend's. Thinking for only a millisecond it registers in her continued drug infested mind where she is.

The Bates' basement.

Maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise this secret room exists. The motel was previously used as a facility for the purpose of sex trafficking young women. What if this space was used for the same purposes and no one has ever found it until now? It would make sense for Norman to discover this room. Not only did he stumble across a room similar to this one in Deputy Zach Shelby's home a few years ago, but he also is in the basement constantly working on his taxidermy.

Now, the question is… how does Norma fit into all of this?

Emma is shaken from the thoughts swirling around her head when she hears a noise coming from outside the door. Her body tenses and she literally finds herself frozen in place.

He's here.

After a few seconds of stillness, Emma forces herself to push her thoughts and theories aside. Quickly, she focuses on using the palms of her hands to shove the thin piece of wood back into place against the wall to completely cover the newfound window. It doesn't entirely fit, but it's very close. She just hopes Norman doesn't pay close attention to details.

Emma wastes no time in attempting to jump from the chair onto the concrete floor. Unfortunately, the chair trembles beneath her, causing her to fall forward and harshly land on her hands and knees with a bang. Wincing in pain, she swiftly stands up to vigorously rub her tender knees with her now stinging hands and then grabs the back of the chair with her right hand to drag it to the middle of the room.

After everything appears to look untouched, Emma scrambles to the back of her little cage in anticipation of her captors entrance. She just makes it in time before the door screeches open.

"Emma, you're awake," Norman says softly, with arms full of an extra blanket, pillow and a few books. A seemingly sincere smile appears on his face, but then drops to a frown upon gazing to the ground briefly. "You didn't touch your breakfast or lunch. Are you okay?"

Gradually he steps closer to her causing Emma's body to noticeably tense and shudder. She wants to scream because of course she's not okay, but she remains silent instead.

"You must be hungry. I'll leave this food here a little while longer because it's a few more hours until dinner." Norman's smile returns. "I brought you some things that may make your stay here a little more comfortable."

Seeing Norman's arms occupied and his posture slightly off balance due to the awkward embrace of the items in his hold, an idea crosses her mind. She has to act fast because this may be her only chance.

Her heart begins to beat wildly against her chest as the adrenaline reaches her veins. The breaths in her new lungs become more intense, causing her newly obtained organs to become strained and restricted. Emma shakes the physical warnings from her mind and concentrates on the fresh energy she's gained.

Norman's words are reduced to incoherent muttering in Emma's jumbled mind as she uses all of the strength she has left in her tired and sore body. Rushing toward the young man, she attempts to overpower him and pass through the door to her much anticipated escape.

The belongings clutched in Norman's grasp are suddenly dropped and scattered onto the floor as Emma's body crashes into his. The sudden impact meant to be her key to freedom, instead turns into the sensation of two hands gripping her shoulders roughly pushing her backwards aggressively until her back is up against the uneven and cold concrete wall.

Her shoulder blades hit the wall with a crunch sound and her neck snaps backwards upon impact, knocking the back of her head against the surface. She grimaces in pain and her breath stops momentarily as she struggles to regain control. Emma fails to move and now finds herself pinned to the wall by Norman with a firm grip. Sadly, she has become weaker than she thought and is now frozen in place by a young man she once considered her best friend. Tears start to form from her eyes and run down her cheeks in a steady stream as she realizes there's no way out.

While looking at Norman's face, Emma observes a transformation happening within him. She sees him squeeze his eyes close, narrow his brow and shake his head a few times violently from side to side. The sight of this sudden change in his demeanor scares her even more, feeling helpless to predict what will happen next.

A slightly higher pitched tone reaches Emma's ears, causing her eyes to open wide and her jaw to open a tad in shock.

_"_ _That was a very bad thing you did young lady. I'm very disappointed in you."_

Emma remains frozen, allowing Norman to continue to hold her in place. She's both confused and fearful at this point of what is happening. The only thing she can do now is listen and see the outcome unfold in front of her.

 _"_ _How could you try to hurt my son like that!? He was only trying to help you!"_ Norman shouts in a feminine-like tone, loud enough to cause Emma to shudder fiercely in panic.

During this strange fit of rage, Norman swiftly takes a step back and raises his right arm brutality. Emma drops to the ground after feeling the sharp pain to her left cheek. Immediately, she holds the left side of her face with the left palm of her hand and scurries to one of the corners of the room on her still aching hands and knees.

Devastated after finally registering in her mind the horrific slap she just received to the left side of her face by her former friend, Emma quickly curls up into herself. Instantly, she moves her legs up to her chest and wraps her right arm tight around them, keeping her left hand to her stinging cheek. Now in defense mode, she mentally and physical shuts down.

Even though Emma appears to have given up, Norman isn't done with her. He continues to yell and scream at her, using the words of his beloved mother.

 _"_ _Dylan is already over you, Emma."_ Norman glares down with icy eyes toward the quivering young woman curled up on the cold and hard floor. _"He understood your message."_

Emma drops her left hand from her painful cheek to wrap both arms around her bent knees to hug herself firmly, desperate for the feeling of security. She then snaps her head up in an instant to meet Norman's eyes with her own. With a puzzled look on her face, she can only muster a shaky whisper.

"What did you do? What message?"

 _"_ _The message Norman sent on your behalf yesterday, honey. He already had a feeling you didn't love him, he just knows for sure now."_ Norman flashes a sinister smile, when he sees a frown appear on Emma's lips and a fat tear drop to her right cheek. _"Oh, don't be upset sweetie. This was the best for both of you, you'll see."_ Emma drops her head to rest on her knees in defeat. _"Soon I'll have both my sons home with me and you'll be with your father enjoying your life, hours away from here. You'll get a chance to start over, just like Dylan will."_

Emma has no words or even strength left within her. She remains quiet, sobbing silent tears.

Norman then turns away to step in the direction of the door, but abruptly stops to glance back at Emma once again. _"Oh and don't worry dear, your father isn't expecting you anytime soon. He's been receiving daily messages from you, which have been putting his mind at ease. You will be able to join him soon, but for now he understands you're not quite ready to move. Your father trusts me."_ Norman sighs in frustration, _"I've always thought of you as a daughter Emma, that's why the way you tried to hurt Norman is so disappointing. This time alone should help you figure out what you've done wrong today."_

Emma refuses to lift her head during Norman's one sided conversation. She no longer has the will to move, even after she hears the door to her little prison lock shut.

XXXX

After the uncomfortable conversation with his new stepdad, Dylan pushes his hangover symptoms aside and rushes down the many outside front steps to make a quick getaway. Once he reaches about half-way, he sees his little brother approach him.

"Are you alright Dylan?" Norman questions with an obvious smirk on his face. Within seconds, the younger man feels the stiff shoulder of his older brother crash against his, causing him to stumble backward slightly.

Dylan ignores his brother as he harshly passes by him. He's in no mood for human interaction today. All he wants to do is be in quiet isolation to let everything that has gone on in the past 24 hours sink in.

Seeking some sort of comfortable silence away from everyone, Dylan hurriedly squeals his truck tires as he tears out of the Bates Motel parking lot. There is only one place he can think of where he can be completely alone with only his thoughts… the cabin.

Upon reaching his cabin, Dylan slowly turns his truck onto the gravel driveway.

His jaw clenches and grip tightens around the stirring wheel when he realizes, he's not alone.

The sound of gravel popping gradually grows louder under the footsteps of an approaching familiar face. "I never thought I'd see you pull in." Gunner greets with a genuine smile, while Dylan steps out and shuts the driver's side door behind him.

"Yeah, well, my plans changed." He says sarcastically with his eyes focused on the ground, stepping around his former employee.

Gunner's smile disappears as he turns around to follow Dylan toward the waterfront, sensing his boss's surprising appearance is not bringing happy news. "Hey, you alright man?" He asks quietly, not wanting to upset the other man standing next to him any further.

Dylan sighs with a roll of his eyes. "Honestly, no. But, I'll be fine."

"Hmmm, maybe you could use a drink? There is some beer in the fridge."

The simple thought of alcohol causes Dylan's stomach to lurch. "No, I definitely don't want anything to drink."

Gunner raises an eyebrow. "That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea, but I'll take one of those cigs you probably have in your pocket."

Gunner grins as he hands over a cigarette. "You know me too well, boss."

Dylan pulls a lighter from his pocket and lights the cig he just received, something he hasn't done in a very long time which is evident when he has a small coughing fit after the first puff.

"It's been awhile huh?" Gunner chuckles, watching as Dylan struggles in a battle with his lungs. "My guess is that you don't want to talk about it?"

"You got it. I really came out here for some peace and quiet. I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here." Dylan pauses for a moment. "Anyway, as long as you're here I have a question to ask you."

"Sure boss, I'm all ears."

"Well, it looks like I'm stuck here in White Pine Bay. So, I'm thinking of starting this operation up again and I could use the help."

"Remo actually called the other day telling me there is some work for me in California. I had thought about heading over there, but if you need help here then I'm on board." Gunner flashes a grin. "I'd rather work for you anyways. But, what about Caleb?"

"He's sort of out of the picture." Dylan grumbles then inhales another puff from the cigarette secured between his index and middle fingers on his right hand.

"Oh, I see and what about Emma?"

"She's out of the picture too." Dylan shifts his wounded and reddened eyes to the ground briefly.

A stint of awkward silence hangs in the air at the mere mention of Emma. Gunner takes this unpleasant break as a sign of Dylan's desire to be alone. "So, I'm going to take off. Just let me know what the plan is, boss."

Dylan nods, continuing to gaze at the breathtaking view of the calming water. His employee turns around on his heels and strides toward his vehicle, pausing just a moment with a look of concern in the direction of his friend before getting in the driver's seat.

After finishing his cig, Dylan drops it to the ground and grinds it with the heel of his boot to snuff out the smoke thoroughly. With a deep breath and a new bite to his lungs, he walks over to one of the chairs resting near the outside of his cabin and carries it closer to the soothing water.

Taking a seat on the chair, Dylan begins to lose himself in his thoughts and evaluate the many emotions he's been feeling over the last several hours. Solitude is nothing new for him. In fact, it's a familiar sentiment that has simply been dormant for a while. Truthfully, Dylan never thought he would be alone again. He was so blindly in love with Emma, never once did it cross his mind she did not feel the same way about him. He feels like a fool. The dagger embedded in his heart right now cuts deep, leaving behind a scar that may never fully heal.

Hours have passed him by while he has remained motionless in his chair, blankly staring at the small waves hitting against the rocks. The sun then sets and disappears, leaving only a couple of lanterns by the cabin shining any sort of light.

With a quick blink of his eyes, Dylan breaks his stare from the comforting view in front of him. This time alone has given him some sort of breakthrough, suddenly awakening him from his depression. He's become focused on the strong need to move on now, accepting in his soul that Emma no longer wants him. Maybe she never did at all. While the loss of Emma in his life hurts him intensely, deep down knows he has to let her go. It's time once again to sever all of his emotional ties and focus on taking the next steps in his life, but first he'll need a little help.

Dylan shoves his right hand in his jacket pocket to grab his phone. Scrolling through his cell, he finally finds the phone number that is essential for his strategy. Hesitating a little with a hitch in his breath, he uses one of his shaky fingers to press the intended contact.

After four long and agonizing rings, a voice ultimately answers.

"Dylan?" The soft, yet noticeably anxious voice pauses. "It's been a long time"

"Ah yeah, I know." Dylan stutters and then clears his throat to help eliminate the jitters from his tone.

"Did something happen?" The voice whispers faintly, "You never call me."

"Well, I actually have something to talk to you about."

"Sure, okay."

Dylan sighs. "I need a favor… Dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Spoiler: Trust me when I say, big things will happen in the next chapter due to a character's choices... Oh, and just a small hint: Dylan isn't over Emma, he's just trying to be because that's what he believes she wants.


	6. Hear Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dylan plans for the future, but decides to keep his plans a secret. Emma struggles to recover after her encounter with "Norma."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 starts immediately after the previous chapter.  
> The big idea I had for this chapter will probably be pushed back to the next one. I'm not quite sure where this story is going just yet, so stay tuned...  
> *Spoiler for chapter 7 listed below

Day 2

After ending the conversation with his father, Dylan starts to become hopeful about his future. A random idea that just happened to slip into his mind during his attempt to forget, is now not only a possibility but a reality.

With a small grin on his face, Dylan strides to his truck while shoving his phone into his jacket pocket. The second he opens the door his smile disappears as he is hit with the overwhelming smell of alcohol radiating from inside. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, the memories of yesterday's drinking binge floods back into his mind. He instantly feels his stomach falter and his throat burn at the memory.

"Damn." Dylan mutters to himself. He must've been so distracted by his thoughts earlier in the day that it rendered his senses completely useless. Thankfully, his new stepdad never mentioned this when he obviously moved the truck this morning. There's no way the Sheriff missed the strong stench of alcohol floating around inside.

At the sight of the broken bottle laying on the passenger side floorboard, Dylan decides the least he can do is pick up the broken glass embedded in the floor mat. Hopefully, the smell will eventually evaporate within the fresh night air.

After satisfied with his minimal cleaning job, Dylan tosses the glass filled garbage bag in the trash can out front of the cabin and then jogs back to the truck to make his way back to the motel.

Twenty minutes later he pulls into the Bates Motel parking lot, paying close attention to the way he parks the truck this time. He needs to redeem himself a little bit in the eyes of the Sheriff.

XXX

Dylan slowly walks up the several steps leading to the front door of his mother's home. His lungs continue to burn and constrict in his chest. The cigarette he chose to breathe in earlier was not a good idea. This previous habit had become foreign to his system causing him to cough and wheeze a little as he makes his trek up the stairs. Never again did he think he would rely on a cigarette to ease his stress, or alcohol for that matter. That part of his life should've ended now.

Feeling disappointed in himself and still exhausted from his poor choices, Dylan finally reaches the front door and follows the noise emitting from the kitchen. Pausing at the doorway he rests his right shoulder against the doorframe and crosses his arms into his chest, observing the pleasant scene in front of him. A scene in all of the years of his life, can never remember seeing before.

Wrapped up in their own little world, Norma and her husband don't notice the pair of blue eyes staring at them. The tiniest smile appears on Dylan's face as he sees Romero place a small kiss on his wife's forehead with a dish towel secured in one hand and the other resting on his mother's lower back for comfort. A contented heart flutters against the young man's chest with the sight of his parents' obvious happiness. However, a touch of sadness soon overcomes him when he suddenly realizes he'll never have that type of closeness with Emma.

To alert the couple of his presence, Dylan pushes himself off the doorframe and clears his throat. Due to the interruption, Norma flinches and drops the plate previously gripped in her hand into the sink filled with dish water, automatically causing the soapy suds to splash her. Romero quickly takes the towel in his hand and gently wipes her nose and cheeks dry with a smile on his typically stoic face. They both promptly turn around to see the source of the disruption. A gentle smile appears on his mother's face, while Romero narrows his eyes a bit out of concern in observing a smirking Dylan standing before them.

Seeing her son with almost a grin warms Norma's heart. "Oh honey, sorry we didn't hear you come in. You're probably hungry, would you like something to eat?"

With his stomach still feeling uneasy with remnants of last night's activities still active in his system and the stress of the collapse of his relationship, he can't even imagine eating anything. "No thanks," he mumbles. "I, well… just want to clear the air about everything."

"Yes, of course." She responds eagerly with her husband protectively wrapping an arm around her narrow shoulders, leaning her into his embrace.

Dylan observes Romero's protective stance. He raises an eyebrow and defensively directs his comments to his new stepdad. "I'm still angry but not at her anymore, so you can lighten up Sheriff." In response, Romero loosens his grip around his wife, but does not let go completely. Dylan's position shifts uncomfortably under the scrutinizing glare of the Sheriff's eyes. The usual confidence Dylan possesses leaves his body all of a sudden, only leaving fidgety hands and a shaky voice behind. "I know it's not your fault. I shouldn't have blamed you… mom."

Norma's face noticeably lightens upon hearing the term of endearment, causing a happy tear to slowly trail down her previously dry left cheek and a large grin to appear on her face. Wiggling out of her husband's hold, Norma wipes the tear away with the palm of her left hand and slowly steps closer to her visibly troubled son. With her arms opened wide, Norma pulls her eldest son into a careful embrace. Dylan initially stiffens in his mother's grasp, but then gradually relaxes in her support.

"Ok, you can let me go now." Dylan jokes, gently prying himself from his mother's surprisingly snug hold.

"Oh yes of course," Norma nervously giggles as she tentatively releases him. "Is there anything else you want to talk about honey?"

Dylan briefly stands motionless, debating in his head how much he's willing to share with his mother. Ultimately, he decides against extending tonight's chat. He's made progress with Norma tonight. It's best to leave the conversation with positive thoughts versus their typical argumentative differences. "I'm actually just going to go to bed. I'm still not feeling the best after last night."

"I can't imagine why." Romero adds with a tiny chuckle. "It smelled like a whole tavern exploded in your truck when I moved it this morning." The Sheriff's tone then abruptly changes from sarcastic to strongly authoritative. "You can never do that again, Massett!"

"Yeah, whatever. I don't need another lecture. Just do me a favor and never try to give one of those father/son pep-talks again." Dylan sneers while stepping toward the doorway. "Sitting through that was punishment enough."

Romero shifts his eyes downward a little embarrassed from the memory of his attempt. "Alright fine, I get it."

Norma awkwardly smiles at the momentary banter between her husband and eldest son, but a troublesome feeling suddenly distracts her. "Oh wait, honey."

Dylan stops sharply with one foot outside of the kitchen doorway and turns around to once again look at his mother. Though this time instead of an expression of contentment, a look of distress now encompasses her face. "Yeah?"

"I'm worried about Norman. He's been acting unusual."

Dylan couldn't hold back the small snicker that escapes him. "That's not really helpful. My little brother has always been unusual. You'll have to be more specific, Norma."

Romero nods his head in agreement with his stepson, which elicits an immediate scowl and a sharp jab to his side from his wife before she responds defensively. "He's just different, that's all."

Dylan rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation at hearing his mother's recurring words. "Let me guess, you want me to babysit him?"

"No. Not exactly babysit him, but maybe just keep an eye on him," she suggests while moving closer to her son. "He's just been released from Pine View and I want to make sure he's okay. He's been spending a lot of time in the basement and sleeping all of the time. Norman seems so distant and disconnected from me now. It's not normal."

"Basically, you want me to spy on him."

"Well, I don't really like that term, but yes if you want to put it that way. I want you to spy on him."

There is moment of silence that fills the room, while Dylan deliberates Norma's idea in his mind. He has a dilemma. Yes he wants to make sure his family is safe, but he also knows he won't have the time to be his mother's private investigator.

The problem is that Dylan has a secret, one that can't be exposed yet. If his mother were to find out about his stealthy plan for the future, she would do everything in her power to try to stop him. This simply can't happen. So, in order to appease Norma he hesitantly agrees to her request.

XXX

Five days later… Day 7

Emma has given up.

The days pass for her without any movement except for certain human necessities. The only way she has any sort of idea of how many days have come and gone is due to the three meals a day delivered at the hands of her familiar captor.

Emma hasn't given much thought if it is Norman or his version of Norma visiting her daily. To be honest, it doesn't even matter who brings her food three times a day because there is no fighting this. Emma is so withdrawn from the situation that nothing really bothers her anymore. She even openly welcomes the extra ingredient included in her nightly meal without protest. Though she can tell the drug included in her dinners is now becoming less and less effective with every dose, which actually distresses her.

The sunlight must have disappeared now with the sky welcoming nightfall. Emma knows this because Norman has stepped out of her prison mere minutes ago, leaving a plate of warmed left overs sitting next to her. He doesn't speak to her anymore, which is fine since she hadn't responded to him in days anyway. There is no point. The consistent dull pain left behind from the other day's rebellion serves as a reminder for her to remain quiet.

Emma picks up the provided spoon (her kidnapper apparently no longer trusts her with a fork, but she makes it work) left on a plate next to her and is just about to take a bite when she hears something, a sound foreign to her ears for far too long. Immediately, she freezes every tired muscle in her body while her heart starts to race wildly. It's as if she's suddenly awake from a lifetime of sleep.

Reality hits her instantly and everything that has happened in the last several days floods her mind all at once. She is overwhelmed with emotions, but pushes them aside when she once again hears the sound she has been craving for days.

Quickly, she drops the spoon full of food to the ground and rushes to her feet. Her new lungs are being put to the test as she struggles to run toward the sturdy door caging her in. With the recognizable noise echoing through the walls, she swiftly puts her right ear against the cold and rough surface to extend her listening abilities even further. Desperation overcomes her typical logical thoughts, causing Emma to curl her hands into tight fists on instinct and bang against the wall furiously. Bruises and small bloody cuts begin to appear on the outside of her hands, but she doesn't feel a thing.

Emma only needs to reach the ears belonging to the person she loves the most. Nothing else matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only Spoiler for chapter 7 is the title: "I'll Look After You"...but, the title may be a little misleading. I guess we'll just have to wait and see? Kudos and comments always helpful and appreciated. These do help me stay motivated to continue working on this. Thank you!


	7. Look After You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeframe = Immediately after chapter 6  
> *Spoiler for next chapter listed below

Day 7

Dylan doesn't hear her.

After five minutes of pounding relentlessly against the rough wall with her fists and tears streaming down her cheeks, Emma snaps out of the trance she put herself in. Taking a moment to focus, Emma slowly leans forward to touch her forehead to the cold surface while her new lungs fight to inhale. The palms of her now bruised and bloodied hands rest on either side of her head as her breath gradually becomes less labored.

Emma needs to calm down and think rationally. While her heart starts to beat normally again and the adrenaline begins to fade, her thoughts become clearer. Norman was right when he advised her the very first day, no one will hear her. Momentarily hanging her head downward in defeat, she pushes off the wall with whatever strength she has left. However, continuing to hear her boyfriend's soothing voice vibrating through the walls creates a transformation within her. A strong sense of hope consumes her soul, giving her the extra motivation she desperately needs to break free of this jail cell. Giving up is no longer an option for her, not when he's so close. She needs a strategy.

Emma blinks her eyes a few times in an attempt to center herself and focus on her goal. The top priority, get rid of her dinner.

Over the last few days, Emma has recognized a pattern Norman follows regarding her meals. The only time she seems to receive the extra ingredient is during supper time. Since the painful blow to the side of her face which served as a strong warning of her disobedience days ago, Emma had gradually begun to accept her fate. Because of this steady loss of faith Emma started to welcome the drowsiness that completely consumed her system. Allowing the drug to overtake her somehow made the situation more bearable in recent days; however, with the sound of a comforting voice everything has changed. Today as if it is some sort of awakening from a long slumber, Emma suddenly realizes she needs to fight.

Rushing to where the plate full of food is laying on the ground, Emma quickly picks it up and sprints the fastest she can on her still sluggish legs to the tiny bathroom area. She watches with a small grin as Norman's invisible means of control flushes swiftly down the toilet. After the drug infested food is completely out of sight, she hurries back with the empty plate and places it to the concrete floor next to the spoon. With no time to clean her freshly made hand wounds, Emma promptly lies down and shoves the evidence of her battle with the unbreakable wall under the blanket. Once she no longer identifies the sound of voices radiating from outside her enclosed barrier, Emma immediately clamps her weary eyes shut, knowing Norman will soon make an appearance.

Of course….she's right.

Hearing the footsteps of her abductor gradually move closer, Emma forces herself to even out her breaths in an attempt to appear asleep. Her mind races and her heart pounds rapidly against her chest when she senses Norman's closeness. All of a sudden she feels an unsettling presence kneeling next to her body and a warm hand brush the hair out of her sealed eyes.

A familiar faint voice breaks the silence of the room. "I'm glad you didn't hear him. I can tell he still wants you. He didn't mention anything of course, but I know my brother." Norman mumbles as he continues to softly stroke her hair. "I can't help you anymore Emma. Mother wants our family to stay together and all you want is to take her son away from her. You need to just follow the rules so eventually when Dylan has moved on and forgotten all about you, she'll let you go. Sorry, but I can't disappoint mother."

The gentle movement then seizes and Emma can feel the warmth of Norman's hand pull away. Squeezing her eyes even tighter, Emma desperately tries to stop the tears she can feel gathering in the corner of her eyes from falling. Finally she hears a variety of different sounds breaking the calmness of the room. The clinking noise of a spoon circling on a plate, then the sound of footsteps moving further away and eventually the sound of a door locking causes an immediate sense of relief. After taking a deep breath to fill up her new lungs, she unseals her eyelids and maneuvers her exhausted body to lie on her back. While staring up at the ceiling with uncertainty she starts to formulate her next move.

XXXX

After attempting to speak with his younger brother for at least twenty minutes, Dylan gives up trying to communicate. The awkward conversation had basically consisted of Dylan talking and Norman avoiding eye contact with all of his effort in silence, only occasionally glancing toward his older brother's scrutinizing gaze periodically. When he happened to catch his younger brother's attention, Norman quickly shifted his eyes elsewhere with what appeared to be a remorse look on his face.

Dylan ultimately decides to eliminate the negative thoughts out of his mind about the situation and considers Norman's current behavior as a side effect of his time at Pine View. Or maybe the plans he's trying to set into motion tomorrow is distracting him from seeing the truth.

Clearing his throat to rid the unbearable quietness filling the basement, Dylan lifts his right hand and lightly pats the top of his younger brother's shoulder in a display of genuine brotherly affection. "Take care of yourself Norman and our mom," he says caringly at a volume barely audible to Norman's ears.

While taking the first couple of steps up the steep stairwell leading to the main floor, Dylan abruptly freezes when he hears a broken whisper in response emerging from behind him. "I will."

Guilt suddenly strikes him as he reaches the 1st floor. The conversation with his younger brother turned out to be completely unproductive, putting Dylan on edge regarding his decision. Maybe he's being selfish for following through with his plan, but he quickly pushes the thought out of his head. ' _Norman's fine. Norma will be fine. Everything will be fine,_ ' he repeats silently to himself continuously as he leisurely approaches the kitchen area. For once, he needs to take care of himself.

Maybe he's a burden around the household anyway. The only idea bringing any hint of happiness to him these days is the thought of starting completely over with his life. If he remains stuck in his current situation, he'll be in no better shape than his brother. It isn't fair for Norma to take care of two lost and damaged sons. He continues to rationalize his future actions by believing it's better for everyone's sake if he moves forward with his life and leaves his old one behind.

When stepping through the doorway to the kitchen, Dylan sees his mother leaning her left hip against the sink with a cup held tightly in her hands, staring out the window with a troubled look on her face. He immediately notices the trembling of her right hand as she lifts the cup to her lips for a slow sip.

Dylan sighs and then cautiously pulls Norma's attention towards him with a calm voice. "Mom?"

"Yes?" She responds, whipping her head to face her eldest son. "Hi honey. I didn't realize you were home. I didn't see your truck parked out front."

"Gunner dropped me off. I left my truck at the cabin."

"Oh, I see sweetie. Would you like some tea?"

He flashes a sympathetic smile while stepping closer, ultimately stopping to face her while leaning against the kitchen counter. "No, I'm fine. I just thought we could talk."

She sets the tea cup in her hand on the same countertop and directs her full attention to her son. Her voice shakes, while her hands continue to tremor. "About Norman?"

"Yeah." Dylan exhales in an attempt to relax, but unfortunately he still feels anxious. "I haven't been able to keep my promise to you. I'm sorry, but I haven't been checking in on Norman as much as I should've. I've been really busy dealing with the cabin these past few days."

A frown appears on his mother's face. "But, I thought you would be looking out for him."

"Yeah, I know." He shifts his eyes downward momentarily and then once again meets his mother's disappointed glare. "I just talked with him for a little while."

Norma's eyes widen, in anticipation of what she'll hear. "And… What did he say? How did he act? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Whoa, slow down Norma." He pauses for a second to take a breath. "First of all, yeah I think there is something wrong with him." Dylan immediately notices tears forming in his mother's eyes the second he mentions the word, _'wrong.'_

"What did he say when you talked with him?"

"Well, nothing. I guess that's the strange part of our conversation. It was basically me talking and him just staring with a blank look on his face, almost like he wasn't there."

Norma drops her face to her hands, letting out a few quiet sobs in between her words. "I don't know what to do anymore. How can I fix this?"

Dylan tentatively takes a few steps closer toward his mother and wraps his arms around her to offer some comfort. "I'm sorry mom, but maybe this is from being at Pine View. Maybe this is just him adjusting to being home again," he whispers in an effort to soothe her. "I think with time he'll be okay," he states quietly, even though deep down he has doubts. "Maybe he wasn't ready to leave treatment so soon."

Slowly pulling away from her eldest son's embrace to once again meet his eyes, Norma wipes her tears away from her wet cheeks quickly and sniffles. "I don't think he was ready to leave either, that's why I set an appointment for him to meet with his therapist tomorrow. I've also decided to spend the day with him, just the two of us. So many changes have happened within our family recently, maybe he's feeling overwhelmed."

A slight smile appears on Dylan's face while a sense of relief washes over him. Norma is doing the right thing he reasons in his mind, convincing himself his mother and brother will be fine in his absence. He's no longer needed here. "You've made the right decision mom."

Norma returns the genuine smile and nods her head in response. "Thank you, honey."

Dylan breaks the sudden uncomfortable stillness of the room with a small cough. "Well, I need to take care of a few things," he says while turning in the direction of the open doorway.

However, before he can reach the other room, Norma rushes to him. "Wait, Dylan."

Halting his movement in an instant, Dylan turns around and meets his mother's reddened, worried eyes. "It's been almost a week since everything happened with Emma. I'm sorry Dylan. I've been so preoccupied lately with everything going on that I haven't been able to see how you are handling this situation. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dylan answers with a weak voice, feeling flustered. "Everything is, umm, fine. I mean yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Dylan rolls his eyes lightheartedly while flashing a wide smile. "Yes, Norma." Hearing his mother's concern warms his heart, but saddens his soul at the same time. He will no longer see the look of unconditional love on his mother's face, a look he's always searched for. Unfortunately this all comes too late for Dylan, his mind is made up.

He's leaving and he's not coming back.

XXXX

Dylan spends most of the night in a restless slumber. Thoughts keep encircling his mind, invading his attempts at a peaceful night's rest. His feelings are conflicted, causing his confidence from yesterday to falter. Is he really doing the right thing by leaving his family behind?

Day 8

When the morning finally arrives, Dylan decides it's time to drag his fatigued body out of bed. As if in a hypnotic state, Dylan goes through all the motions to follow through with his plan. He packs his bag, grabs the money he's been saving and picks up his phone to make a call. A call he's not sure he should be making.

Taking a deep breath, Dylan dials the mysterious phone number with trembling fingers and a skipped beat in his heart. He knows his call will go unanswered, but at this point it doesn't even matter. This is a chance for him to at least say the few words that have been bottled up inside of him for almost a week.

**_"_ ** **_Hi, you've reached Emma. I'm out enjoying life right now so I can't answer the phone, but leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. Have a great day!"_ **

Dylan can't hide the tiny smile that emerges on his lips while listening to the voice he's missed hearing for days now. He lightly chuckles remembering how many times it actually took Emma to accomplish the final perfect greeting. To be honest, she wasn't solely to blame for her failure. Every time Emma would hear the beep and start speaking, Dylan would find a new way to distract her, causing her to continuously break out into giggle fits. Finally after probably 20 tries, Emma became immune to his antics and created the flawless message.

Dylan is suddenly startled out of his memories when the loud beep on the other end of the line rings in his ear, prompting him to speak.

**_"_** ** _I know I shouldn't be calling you, but there is something I need to say."_** His voice wavers a bit, but he recovers quickly and focuses on the many emotions he's currently feeling to help get his thoughts together. _"_ _ **I'm not sure what happened to us.**_ _ **Maybe I was too blind or selfish to notice you weren't happy with me. I probably should've realized this was going to happen when you never said those three little words back to me."**_ He pauses for a moment and sadly sighs. **_"Anyway, none of that matters anymore because you're gone now and I have to accept that. You will not be an easy girl to get over Miss Decody, but I respect your wishes and will not contact you again."_** Almost to the point of drawing blood, Dylan bites down hard on his quivering bottom lip in order to prevent a whimper from escaping. He then quickly clears his throat to cover any evidence of his sorrow. " ** _I just want you to know that even though you never loved me, I have and will always love you."_** Immediately, he ends the call and shoves the phone into his left jacket pocket.

After taking a few deep breaths, Dylan slowly glances around his room and hoists the fully packed duffle bag over his right shoulder with a groan. This is truly a bittersweet ending for him.

Dylan strides out of his bedroom with false confidence in his decision and swiftly jogs down the few steps leading to the 2nd floor. Just as he reaches the stairwell near Norman's door, his left jacket pocket rings. In hearing the already known sound, the duffle bag slung over his shoulder is instantly dropped to the ground and all the muscles in his body freeze for a moment. After a couple of rings, Dylan jumps back into reality and quickly reaches into his pocket to retrieve his cell. Without checking the caller ID, he immediately answers the phone believing it is Emma waiting on the other line.

To his disappointment, it's not the call he hoped to receive.

"Dylan?" The male voice speaks, then pauses when no sound is heard from the other end. "Are you there?"

"Yeah. I'm here," Dylan grumbles, frustrated he's not speaking to Emma currently. "What do you want Caleb?"

Caleb's voice weakens a bit in response to his son's irritated tone. Dylan is clearly upset, sounding nothing like the young man who called him almost a week ago filled with excitement at the mere idea of change. "Starting over is a big deal Dylan and I need to know if this is something you really want to do?"

A long stretch of silence occurs across the phone line.

Caleb panics. He's obviously struggling with this conversation, so he tries to use this time of quiet to his advantage and think of some sort of helpful advice to share with his son. However, with his inexperience in being a parent he's lost on how to ease Dylan's pain and confusion.

After what feels like hours but in reality has been only minutes, Caleb can no longer handle the lack of noise. "You still there?" He asks at a soft volume, careful to not escalate the situation further.

Dylan finally replies timidly. "Yeah, I was just thinking for a second."

"Maybe this isn't a good idea right now. Why don't you take some time to think about it?"

"No! I'm doing this," the young man shouted firmly with a hint of anger. After realizing he unintentionally yelled at this father, Dylan inhales deeply and exhales slowly to collect himself. "Sorry Caleb. I didn't mean it to come out like that because I do really appreciate your help. And, you're right, this is a big change for me but I think in the long run it is the right decision. I can't stay here anymore."

"Okay, that's all I needed to hear." Caleb flashes a wide grin his son can't see, but through the eager pitch of his voice it's pretty clear he's ecstatic for Dylan and his future. "Well, I have good news then. I confirmed your plans a few hours ago. Everything will be set up for you when you get there."

"Thanks for all of this, dad. I think you may have this whole father thing under control," Dylan chuckles sincerely. "I trust you to keep this a secret from Norma."

"Telling her will be your decision, I promise."

XXXX

Upon hanging up with his father, Dylan all of a sudden has the strong desire to call the one person he knows he shouldn't. For some reason, speaking with Caleb stirred up more buried emotions, mostly resentment. Before giving himself the opportunity to stop, Dylan angrily dials Emma's number for the second time today.

He doesn't expect her to answer, but he definitely doesn't expect to hear what he does. A noise so unexpected, he finds himself in shock and completely immobile upon hearing it.

The sound of a familiar song radiates faintly through his brother's partially opened door…

**Oh, oh**  
Oh, oh  
I'll look after you  
After you

**Oh, oh**  
Oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh

**Be my baby**

**It's always have and never hold**  
You've begun to feel like home yeah  
What's mine is yours to leave or take  
What's mine is yours to make your own

**Oh, oh**  
Oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Oh, oh

Emma's ringtone.

XXXX

The Fray: "Look After You"

www. ** you ** /watch?v=1iYOOuJLuaY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needless to say, I love The Fray so I'm going to pretend Emma does too. I've included the video link from YouTube in case you haven't heard the song before. *As for spoilers… I'm not exactly sure what will happen in the next chapter yet, but I have a title "Don't let me go."


	8. Don't Let Me Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dylan’s plan is revealed, plus Emma may have a plan of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeframe: Immediately after chapter 7  
> There is some fluff in this chapter, hopefully it’s not too much.  
> Also, I apologize but the spacing is a little messed up between words and I can't seem to fix it on this site.

Day 8

Dylan doesn't move a muscle when the familiar tune creeps into his eardrums…

**_A month ago…_ **

_"_ _There!"_ Emma says with excitement in her voice. _"_ _I'm finally_ _done."_

Dylan adjusts his grip on the steering wheel as they take a leisurely drive to the cabin to relax by the lakefront and enjoy the upcoming sunset. With a raised eyebrow, he glances over to his right to see her continuing to smile to herself. _"_ _Done with what?"_

_"_ _Someone hasn't been very observant,"_ she giggles, twisting her body slightly in the passenger seat to speak with him in more of a comfortable position. _"_ _I've only been working on getting my new phone set up for hours now,"_ she grins proudly at her accomplishment.

Dylan smirks and let's a small chuckle escape his lips. _"_ _Seriously?_ _You spent hours setting up your phone?"_

_"_ _Okay, I realize how bad that makes me sound._ _But, I will have you know that I like to customize my phones and that takes time."_ She forms her mouth into a pretend pout. _"_ _I had to choose the right picture and ringtone for everyone in my contact list._ _That's not easy."_

The sound of popping gravel under the tires interrupts the conversation as they pull into the driveway to the cabin. When the engine is turned off, they both exit the truck and move toward the lakefront where two chairs are conveniently already set for optimal viewing of the sunset that is gradually seeping into the skyline.

However, instead of relaxing in her own chair, Emma decides she would be more comfortable taking a seat on Dylan's lap. Sitting down carefully, she wraps her left arm around his shoulders to steady herself, prompting him to embrace her as an automatic reaction. She then nuzzles herself into his warmth, using the turning chill in the air as her excuse.

Once Emma is settled in her boyfriend's arms, she turns to meet his eyes. _"_ _So do you want to hear yours?"_

_"_ _Wanna hear my what?"_ He questions, with a confused look.

She rolls her eyes in frustration, realizing he clearly has not been following their conversation. _"_ _Your ringtone,"_ she sighs with disappointment when she sees her boyfriend's lack of interest. " _Yours was the first one I chose."_

Dylan smirks in response. _"_ _I know you'll play it for me anyway,"_ he utters under his breath while he feels Emma shift positions on his lap to reach in her pocket to grab the phone. " _Alright then Miss Decody, let's see how well you know me."_

After playing the tune, Dylan remains silent before catching a glimpse of the expression on her eager face. Emma's eyes open wide while waiting with anticipation for his reaction, but when there is none she decides to provoke an answer from him. _"_ _So, what do you think?"_

_"_ _Um, it's nice."_ He replies apprehensively, struggling to find the correct response in order to spare her feelings. Obviously this ringtone situation is important to her, but for the life of him he can't figure out what the big deal is.

A frown appears on her face, while her tone turns harsher out of exasperation. _"_ _Nice?_ _That's it._ _You do know my favorite band, right?"_

_"_ _Since you seem to have their CD permanently installed in my truck's stereo lately, I would have to say yes I believe I know who your favorite band is."_ He teases light heartedly.

_"_ _Anyway, the reason why this song is special to me is because I always feel safe with you._ _I always feel like you look after me."_ Emma gazes into his eyes for a moment and then snuggles into his chest a little more. Suddenly, the sensation of his arms squeezing tighter consumes her, causing Emma to sigh with contentment.

He chuckles lightly, while gently kissing the top of her head and then speaks softly. _"_ _Hmm, I think I might love you just a little bit Miss Emma Decody."_

Unfortunately, his sentiment is not returned. Instead an awkward distraction of the sunset pulls the couple's fond exchange elsewhere.

XXXX

The loud sound of a beep in his ear snaps him out of his recollection of the past, he quickly ends the call. During his trip down memory lane, his footsteps unconsciously led him closer to his brother's partially opened door. Squeezing his eyes tightly for a second, he takes a few steps backwards and once again makes his way back to the direction of his duffle bag. "Jesus, you're losing it," he mutters to himself. "She's gone."

Once he reaches the location of his bag, he hoists it back onto his shoulder with a groan. With his phone still locked tight in his grasp, he thinks for a moment before his fingers go to dial the number again. Maybe he's not crazy? Just as the fingertip of his index finger is about to press the green button on his phone, a text displays with only two words… **_"_** ** _Out front."_**

Dylan quickly clears the past few minutes out of his mind and jogs down the stair case. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, he freezes at the doorway to the now empty and tranquil kitchen before grabbing an envelope out of his bag.

Carefully, he places the envelope addressed to his mother on top of the kitchen table. Taking a deep and long breath, he silently reassures himself he truly is making the best decision for him, Emma and his family.

Dylan slowly steps toward the front door, pausing a moment before locking it behind him. He then rushes down the long winding outdoor staircase to see his own blue truck idling in the parking lot. When his feet finally reach the last step, he turns around once more to glance at his previous home and whispers into the crisp and frigid air, "good-bye."

XXXX

With Dylan's gaze still occupied by the sight of the Bates' residence, he doesn't notice the driver until the silence is broken by a voice.

"You alright, Kid?"

Dylan blinks his eyes away from his stare upon hearing the familiar pitch, but it's not the voice he expects to hear from his left side. "Remo? What are you doing here? I thought you were in California."

"Yeah, well things sort of fell through over there. You know how this business can be. I guess maybe it's time for me to follow the law after all of these years and actually do some legitimate work for a change." He smirks, while reaching in the center console of the truck with his right hand.

With a lighthearted sinister grin attached to his lips, Remo passes the item he had hidden inside the compartment to his passenger. "Here. Thought you may need a little of this."

While looking down at the small silver flask now occupying his hands, Dylan starts to have flashbacks of his uncontrollable drinking binge a week ago. He starts to feel ill at just the thought of alcohol. "Thanks for the offer Remo, but I had a little incident with vodka the other day and I'd rather not relive that hangover."

"Good thing it's only whiskey then." The older man jokes, while driving out of the parking lot. "I thought maybe it would take the edge off a bit."

Dylan shrugs his shoulders and lifts the somewhat chilled flask to his lips. "No harm in taking a little sip I guess." Immediately after, he feels the burn travel down his throat causing him to clamp his eyes shut and grit his teeth. "Damn! That burns."

Remo chuckles at Dylan's discomfort. It's no shock to him when he hears the center console open and slam shut again, with a clink noise of an almost full flask dropping inside. "Feel better?"

"I can easily say no." Dylan grumbles to the older man without hesitation.

"So, you want to talk about any of this?" Remo glances at his younger friend with a look of concern.

"Nope." Dylan answers casually, glaring out the window for a distraction.

"Well, I'm going to talk for you then." The driver advises in a more serious manner. "I think you are making a mistake kid. Leaving because of a girlfriend situation seems like a pretty hasty reaction if you ask me."

"Good thing I didn't ask you then." Dylan responds with a sneer.

"Gunner said you made this decision within a day of her leaving you." Remo sighs. "All I'm saying is maybe give yourself some time to get your head together before making some life altering choice."

"This isn't your business Remo, besides everything is already set up for me when I get there. Plus, I've saved some money from when I worked in the industry, so I'm fine. Trust me, everything will be fine." Dylan responds hesitantly with false confidence, trying to convince himself as well as his friend.

XXXX

Remo slowly pulls into a distinctly labeled _visitor's_ stall in the airport parking lot and shifts the gear in Dylan's truck to _"_ _Park"_. Keeping the truck running, he turns to his younger friend to wish him well. "Just stay in touch, kid."

"Yeah, I will. I'm going to text Gunner my new number when I get a different phone. I need you to promise me something."

"Sure."

"You won't tell Romero where I am. No matter how many times he threatens you, don't tell him."

Remo laughs in hearing the Sheriff's name. "Oh that's right. I heard you have a new stepdad. I'm sure that's been a fun situation."

"His attempts at fatherly talks have been entertaining, but otherwise he's actually alright." Dylan pauses for a moment while he tries to regain his train of thought. "Anyway, don't tell him you know where I am. He'll be relentless because Norma will push him to be. Let's just say my mom always gets what she wants."

"You have my word. I won't say anything. I'll also swear Gunner to secrecy. I've never really gotten along with the big bad Sheriff anyways, so it won't bother me not to share information with him."

"I really appreciate it. I'll make sure to stay in touch about the business also, but I'm sure you and Gunner will have everything under control."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Leaving his left hand secured to the stirring wheel, Remo removes his right and turns his head in the direction of the passenger side. "I know you're pretty stubborn kid and I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this decision of yours, so I guess the only thing I can say to you is good luck."

"Thanks Remo. Oh, and be sure to take care of my truck." Dylan flashes a genuine smile in response to Remo's grin and then outstretches his right hand to shake his friend's.

"Sure thing kid. Good luck."

Dylan steps down from the vehicle and grabs his duffle bag from the passenger floor board before lifting it onto his shoulder. He promptly shuts the door, giving the driver one last awkward wave of friendship before sluggishly turning toward the entrance. Timidly, he steps closer and closer to the sliding doors of the airport. Stopping his muscles for a moment from continuing forward, he turns around just in time to catch Remo's look of unease staring back at him.

In an act of reassurance for his older friend, Dylan flashes a less than convincing grin and then continues to walk toward the airport entrance.

XXXX

It's been almost two hours since arriving at the airport. Dylan has been patiently waiting to hear his flight number broadcast over the muffled loud speaker, but there has yet to be an announcement. Apparently, a delay has occurred with the plane which is causing his anxiety to sky rocket. The more time he waits, the more doubts creep into his mind.

Attempting to occupy himself with skimming the words printed on today's newspaper abandoned by a previous passenger also awaiting a flight, Dylan struggles to concentrate while his thoughts wander and his eyes blurry. Suddenly, his attention focuses elsewhere and his breath abruptly hitches to the sound of another recognizable tune playing softly in the background of the rather quiet waiting area.

Not just any song. Emma's favorite song.

Straining his ears to hear the words of the previous soothing music a little clearer, he drops the paper to the seat next to him and hangs his head low. Leaning forward in his seat and clasping his own hands together, he rests his elbows on his knees while allowing the familiar melody to invade his eardrums…

**Some things we don't talk about**  
Rather do without  
And just hold a smile  
Falling in and out of love  
Ashamed and proud of  
Together all the while

**You can never say never while we don't know it**  
Time and time again  
Younger now than we were before  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go

**Picture you're the queen of everything**  
Far as the eye can see  
Under your command  
I will be your guardian when all is crumbling  
Steady your hand

**You can never say never while we don't know it**  
Time, time and time again  
Younger now than we were before  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go

**We're falling apart,**  
And we're coming together,  
Again and again  
We're crawling apart,  
But we're falling together,  
Falling together  
Together again

**Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go**  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go  
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go

The lyrics to the song radiating throughout the airport infiltrate his thoughts, causing insecurity to set in.

Upon hearing the music end, Dylan once again sits up and leans back in his chair in attempt to become more comfortable, but it doesn't work. Gradually, he can feel his stomach turning into knots and his breathing quicken with the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty.

Is Emma's ringtone he heard earlier today, her favorite song that ended just mere minutes ago, the announced flight delay and the feeling of dread in his soul right now all a sign he shouldn't leave? Though he doesn't believe in the interpretation of signs in the universe or any of that other nonsense, the irony and timing of all of this is difficult to ignore.

All of a sudden, Dylan's internal fight is disrupted by the sounds of his flight number being called… **Continental Flight 2200, leaving for Costa Rica is now boarding.**

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Dylan wills himself to stand up from his seat. Once he collects himself, he drags his feet to stand in the relatively long line at the flight counter. When it's finally his turn, he sets his bag down and grabs the plane ticket from one of the zippered pockets and hands it to the attendant.

The woman inspects his boarding pass, and flashes a smile. "Welcome Mr. Massett. Please enjoy your flight." Dylan's mind drifts elsewhere; causing him to miss the attendant's well-wishing entirely. Since he hadn't moved away from the counter, the woman once again interrupts Dylan's thoughts. "Sir?" She says sweetly, while touching his hand gently.

Dylan shakes free the many ideas swirling around in his head and snaps back into reality. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, what did you say?"

The younger woman then smiles, giggles and even flaunts a wink in his direction before repeating her previous words. "Have a nice flight Mr. Massett."

"Yeah, thanks." He says quietly while awkwardly grinning at the woman in return. Dylan then nervously turns his body toward the boarding hallway and steps in the direction of the plane, still unsure if he's making the right decision.

XXXX

"Here." Norman says in a meek and monotone voice as he squats down near the inhabited sleeping bag. "I'm going to be gone most of today to spend time with mother, so I won't be able to bring down lunch later." When he receives no response from the weary body lying on the ground, he stands up and walks back toward the direction of the door but then abruptly freezes. Turning around to focus his stare to meet Emma's seemingly dazed eyes, his tone becomes harsh. "And don't get any ideas in that head of yours. Mother wanted me to remind you, there's no escaping this place."

Emma jams her eyes shut until she hears the sound of a door locking. With a quick blink, she breaks herself out of her pretend sleepy state and immediately begins to think of options. Sure, she's a little tired because she had been awake for most of the evening while the wheels in her brain continue to twist and turn in search of ideas. But, today's exhaustion is nothing compared to the way she would've felt had she consumed the extra ingredient hidden in her dinner last night.

The sound of her stomach growling draws her attention elsewhere. To quiet the distracting noise, she picks up the provided spoon and bowl placed in front her. Inhaling the warm bowl of oatmeal, Emma actually finishes the entire bowl's contents in minutes. She decides to save the sandwich for later.

Since Norman won't be in the house for most of the day Emma takes the opportunity to once again sneak a peek through the tiny opening she created when she first arrived in this prison. Grabbing the nail file she used previously, Emma tugs the chair placed in the middle of the room to the window area and shakily steps up. With a swift clockwise circular motion, she removes one of the screws completely and glances through the dusty and dirtied window. She sighs in disappointment when she sees no familiar dark blue truck parked in the lot.

Instead of replacing the screw and maneuvering the window covering back into place, Emma decides to strain her eyes a bit more and take in the room's outdoor surroundings. Maybe if she can somehow pull her body up and sneak out of the window in front of her, she should know all of the possible escape routes.

Taking a chance, Emma continues to loosen another screw, and then another, and then finally the last one which had been securing the window cover in place. Easily, she lifts the casing from the sill and feels with the fingertips of her right hand to determine the thickness of the window in front of her. While still standing on the chair, Emma leans down and drops the covering to the concrete with a bang. Placing the palms of her hands on the rough wall she steadies herself before slowly standing again.

With a racing pulse and a shaky hand, Emma pounds her already sore hands forcefully around the window frame to see if there is a loose sealant somewhere around one of the edges. She smiles to herself in pride when she hears a loud cracking sound hit her ears. Breathlessly she whispers to no one…

"It's now or never."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm done with The Fray references now, but if you are interested in hearing the song I used in this chapter the YouTube address is included ... The Fray’s “Never Say Never ( Don’t Let Me Go)” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IirLPRFyNjM  
> ***Also, if I do write more chapters I’m curious about your ideas on Dylan possibly leaving. Should he stay or should he leave? Thanks everyone!


	9. Your Secret Is Safe With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a clue is revealed regarding Emma’s departure. Norman has second thoughts about his “mother’s” plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should clarify the reasons why no one realizes Emma is missing. I hid the explanation a little too deeply in a previous chapter, so I hope this helps any confusion... 
> 
> -Norman has been sending daily messages through Emma’s cell phone to Will Decody, advising him that she is helping Dylan wrap up things in White Pine Bay before moving. 
> 
> -Dylan is too focused on trying to start his life over since he believes Emma has left him for good. He’s honoring her wishes to not contact her (minus the goodbye call from chapter 8)
> 
> -Only Emma has the new address in Seattle and Mr. Decody’s new phone number.
> 
> **Spoilers for next chapter listed below

Day 8

“MOTHER!”  Norman yells in a panic at the top of his lungs, causing Norma to cringe and grip the steering wheel tighter in order to steady herself while continuing to drive down a familiar road to both of them.  “You can’t do this!  I won’t go back to that place!  I WON’T!”

“Calm down Norman,” she hushes in an attempt to calm her distraught son, but her words can’t be heard over the shouting.  Norma knew this would be difficult, so she decided to keep this important doctor appointment a secret from her youngest son and distract Norman by spending the day with him.  Unfortunately, her plan seems to have backfired by the behavior Norman is currently displaying.

Norman yanks on his seatbelt hysterically in order to release himself from the restraints.  “STOP MOTHER!  Stop this car right NOW!”  He continues to shout, now tugging on the passenger handle with fury.  Thankfully, Norma utilized the child safety locks option in order to prevent any sort of dangerous escape from the vehicle while in movement.  “I hate you!  I will never forgive you for this, NEVER!”

Tears start to build up in Norma’s eyes in seeing her youngest son’s tantrum.  It hurts her deeply to see him act this out of control, but she continues to drive forward.  However, the overwhelming feeling of hesitation starts to overtake her emotions, automatically causing her to reduce her speed.  She begins to experience an internal struggle between her head and her heart.  Her heart is starting to win. 

The sound of repeated banging then fills the hostile aura of the vehicle.  Norma glances over her right shoulder to observe her son pounding on the window with his right elbow, desperately trying to break free from the car.  Norma instantly slams on the brakes, causing both to fall forward dramatically.  Both occupants cease all movements in the state of shock, with only their automatic need for deep breaths breaking the silence. 

Without another word Norma checks her rearview mirror quickly and then wildly spins the steering wheel to change directions, almost driving into the ditch.  Her heart beats violently against her chest as she pushes the rational thoughts out of her head.

Norman remains still for a few minutes, but then breaks the tense silence.  “I can’t trust you mother,” he whimpers.  “I can NEVER trust you again.”

“Put your seatbelt on Norman,” Norma orders harshly with her eyes staring straight ahead.  Norma understands she’s making a mistake by turning the vehicle around and driving further away from the only assistance that could possibly cure her son, but her heart has won this fight.  A few tears escape her eyes and trickle down her cheeks in hearing Norman’s unforgiving words. 

Sorrow consumes her soul in the realization that the once strong relationship between her and her youngest son is forever tarnished.

XXXX

After the stressful ride home, Norman promptly removes his seatbelt as his mother presses the child safety lock button.  With the click of the button, Norman opens the passenger door and slams it shut as hard as he can before sprinting up the outside steps to the front door of the house.  He quickly shoves his shaky right hand in his pocket and grabs his key.  With shortness in his breath and his awareness clouded due to anger, Norman’s fingers continue to tremble making it difficult to fit the key in the lock.  After finagling with it for a few moments, it finally unlocks.  As he races through the front door, he leaves it wide open in haste and rushes up the stairs to his room, shutting it behind him. 

Lying down on his bed, Norman stares at the ceiling until he can feel himself drifting away with the thoughts of betrayal dancing throughout his head.  The last idea running through his furious mind before closing his eyes is his solemn vow to let Emma go free.  He’s done listening to his deceiving mother and he’s done helping her with her sick plan.

XXXX

Norma breathes heavily in an attempt to calm herself, leaving her white knuckled hands still glued to the steering wheel.  With her chest heaving, she squeezes her eyes shut momentarily and then focuses on the sight of her visibly outraged son struggling with the lock to the front door.  Norma is disappointed in herself for not being strong enough to withstand her son’s defiance to receiving the help he so desperately needs.  She can’t help but feel a little selfish for giving into Norman’s uncontrollable outburst just to save her bond with him. 

Once she gains control of her breathing and her pulse decreases to a normal level, she makes a call in search of consolation.

Her husband answers on the first ring.  “Norma?  Is everything okay?  I thought you would be at Norman’s appointment.”

Norma couldn’t hold in her cries any longer and finds herself sobbing over the phone.  “He wouldn’t go.  Alex, he hates me.”

Romero clinches his jaw and his free hand suddenly forms a fist in hearing how distressed his wife’s tone is currently.  “Norma, it will be alright.  I will be home as soon as I can okay?”

Norma sniffles and wipes the wetness from her cheeks.  “Okay,” she weakly responds.

When the call ends, Norma takes a deep breath and wipes away the visible sadness from her face in an attempt to regain her composure.  She then gathers whatever strength she has left from her earlier volatile conversation with her youngest son and exits the vehicle.  Norma tentatively walks up the many steps leading to her home, dreading the upcoming inevitable interaction with Norman.

After hesitantly walking through the wide open door, Norma closes it behind her and moves toward the kitchen expecting to see Norman angrily waiting for her; however, instead she sees an envelope addressed to her sitting on the table.  She sets down her purse, picks up the envelope and carefully unseals it revealing a letter inside.  As her eyes quickly scan the letter, her breath hitches and loud sobs escape her pouting lips. 

Dropping the letter from her grasp, Norma immediately covers her face with the palms of her hands.  Her shoulders bounce vigorously with each sniffle and soft incoherent mumbles escape through her fingers. 

Upon seeing his wife in this disturbing state, the Sheriff is quick to rush to her side.  Automatically he turns Norma around to face him and tightly wraps his arms around her.  In response she drops her hands, leans into his embrace and nuzzles her weeping face into his chest. 

“Shhh, everything will be alright Norma,” he whispers as a reassurance.  “Norman will calm down.”

 “No.  It’s - it’s -Dylan.”  Norma stutters into his upper body.

“Dylan?”  Romero asks with a raised eyebrow while releasing her from his hold in order to meet her eyes with his.  “What’s happened Norma?  I thought this was about Norman?”

Without a word, she picks up the letter with unsteady hands and gives it to her husband to read…                 

**_Norma,_ **

**_By the time you read this, I will already be gone.  This is not how I wanted to say goodbye, but I know if I told you in person you would try to talk me out of leaving._ **

**_I thought I knew what my future was going to be, but Emma leaving me has opened my eyes to other possibilities.  Basically what I’m trying to say is that I need to move on with my life, even if that means leaving other important people in my life behind._ **

**_You no longer need me, mom.  I am confident the Sheriff will be there to support you with anything you may need.  You just have to trust him and accept his help because you are not alone anymore._ **

**_I can’t say I won’t be in touch in the future, but for now don’t try to find me.  Maybe I’m being selfish, but I need to do this because I can’t let life pass me by any longer._ **

**_Please remember even though I can’t be there, I will always wish the best for you and Norman._ **

**_Your son,_ **

**_Dylan_ **

Romero’s eyes widen and tears threaten to appear after reading the heartfelt letter.  Dylan trusts him, regardless of past conflicts they may have had.  The Sheriff’s typical stoic façade may be crumbling on the inside, but Norma doesn’t need to know that.  According to his eldest stepson, he is the support system for his wife which means he needs to remain strong for her. 

Rapidly, he blinks away any signs of unshed tears and clears his tightened throat, which has gradually formed while skimming through the written page. 

“You have to find him Alex,” she chokes out in between her cries.

“You accepted Dylan leaving before,” he replies softly, trying to soothe her.

“That was different.  He was leaving with someone, now he’s by himself and I don’t even know where he is!  What if he’s in danger Alex?  Don’t you care?”  Norma pokes at his chest with her index finger harshly and then takes a step backward, distancing herself from her husband.  “He’s your stepson!  This is all about Emma!  I can’t believe she’s done this to our family!” She raises her voice out of frustration.

“Norma slow down.  You know this isn’t Emma’s fault,” he informs with a relaxing tone.  “Dylan is an adult.  There’s nothing I can do about this.”  He says while taking a timid step toward her, careful not to upset his panicky wife any further.  “Besides, he has been on his own before.  He’ll be fine.”

She aggressively approaches him with a determined look on her face, only to roughly push him away with all the strength she has left in her.  However, since she is emotionally drained from everything that has happened today, she only manages to cause him to flinch backwards.  “Just get away from me Alex.  If you’re not willing to help me find my son then get away from me!” She shouts as she side steps him and stomps toward the doorway.  “Now if you excuse me I’m going to check on my other son,” she huffs.

The Sheriff stands motionless after she leaves the room, trying to process the last few minutes.  He then glances down at the letter again and focuses on the word _“support.”_   Romero squeezes his eyes shut briefly and takes a deep breath.  Realizing he isn’t being the supportive husband he should be at the moment, the Sheriff strides out of the room and follows her up the stairs to witness Norma cautiously open her youngest son’s bedroom door.    

XXXX

Norman’s eyes fly open and he gasps for air at the sound of his mother yelling in between her hiccupping sobs, _“If you’re not willing to help me, then get away from me!”_ Soon to follow the screaming is the sound of scampering feet moving closer and closer to his door.  A few seconds later the noise suddenly stops.  Not wanting to confront his mother presently, Norman clamps his eyes shut again and pretends to be asleep. 

His eyes remain shut until he hears the squeaky bedroom door close and loud whispering ensue between his mother and the Sheriff in the hallway.  Norman sits up immediately and swiftly climbs out of his bed to rush to his door. 

With his left ear pressed against his thin structured bedroom door, Norman eavesdrops on the quiet but argumentative confrontation taking place in the hallway.

“Norma, listen to me.  Even though I am the law here, I have limitations on things I can do to find him.”  Romero clarifies.  “He’s not missing.  Dylan simply made an adult decision to leave.  My hands are tied here.”

Norman then hears his mother’s muffled bawling radiate in his eardrums, which causes his previous feelings of distrust to slowly fade away.  Seconds ago he was ready to defy his mother and release Emma from her prison downstairs, but hearing his mother’s cries triggers his need to trust her again. 

Norman convinces himself it is his mother’s wish to keep Emma here as a punishment for driving his brother away.  Like the dutiful son he is, he will always obey his mother.

“I need Dylan here with me.  Please Alex!  He needs to be with his family, not out there alone,” Norma begs.

Romero sighs, but ultimately gives into his wife’s pleas.  “Okay Norma.  I guess I can try to trace his phone.  If he has his phone on, I can pinpoint his location.  I’ll go back to the station now and see what I can do.  Why don’t you rest for a little while, you’ve had a difficult day.”  She timidly nods her head in agreement.

Suddenly with hearing the words of the Sheriff, Norman begins to panic.  In an instant, he runs to his dresser and scrambles to retrieve Emma’s phone.  While mumbling, “he can’t find her” repeatedly to himself, Norman’s fingertips finally feel the item he’s been frantically searching for.  Once he recovers the cell phone from its hiding place, Norman briefly scans the display noticing two missed calls.  Instead of checking who may have called, he promptly turns the phone off.

Norman then smirks with confidence and whispers sinisterly.  “Your secret is safe with me, mother.”

It’s now been 15 minutes since Norman heard the front door lock shut. 

Carefully, Norman opens his bedroom door and listens for any other noises in the household.  When he hears nothing, Norman cautiously approaches his mother’s bedroom to find the door slightly ajar.  Through a squinted eye he notices Norma lying on her bed resting with only discreet whimpers interrupting her steady breathing. 

Believing his new stepfather is occupied at the Sheriff’s Department for a while, Norman decides to take this opportunity to notify Emma that Dylan has left her for good.  He’s also going to inform her that even though her boyfriend is gone, she will remain where she is. 

Emma must be punished for upsetting mother.

XXXX

Emma has continued to search for a vulnerable spot around the window to possibly break through.  She’s discovered there is no way to break the thick glass surface to escape, but she desperately pounds around the windowpane with bloodied and sore hands to see if there is another way.  Her forehead is beaded with sweat and her arms continue to grow weary as she continuously tries to convince herself to never give up.

Time continues on to the point where the sky is beginning to slowly dim.  She knows Norman could return at any moment and it would be devastating if he were to find her attempting to free herself of this suffocating cage. 

The only interruption from the planning of her escape was the few minutes she spent eating the remaining food Norman brought her earlier in the day in order to keep her strength.  However, as she’s convinced hours have now passed she sees her opportunity to leave beginning to slip away. 

After a forceful blow to the casing around the window, she hears another loud crack.  Smiling brightly in delight she goes to hit the area again, but stops instantly when she hears footsteps approaching.  Her focus immediately shifts toward the direction of the door. 

Emma cringes in terror.

Norman can’t find out about the window, or how close she is to leaving this controlled space.   Emma begins to hyperventilate, putting extra pressure on her new lungs.  While muttering “oh my God” and “no, no, no” repeatedly, Emma ungracefully jumps down from the wobbly chair she’s been using as a step-ladder.  With nervous hands, she leans down and picks up the window covering from the frigid concrete floor.

Hurriedly, she steps up on the chair with the case clutched tightly in her grip.  Similar to fitting a puzzle piece together, Emma frantically moves the covering around until she fits it perfectly in place.  There is no time to fasten it, so she can only pray the cover remains in position during the hopefully short visit from her abductor.  

Emma’s original goal has changed for the moment.  She now has to distract her kidnapper from the barely noticeable exposed section in the cement.  The only thing that could possibly alert him to the flawed fragment in the wall is the tiny speck of light currently shining around the edge of the casing. 

With no time to lose, Emma once again hops down from the unstable chair, landing harshly on her left knee causing an almost unbearable ache to radiate throughout her body.  Emma winces in pain as she drags the rickety chair to the corner of the room, further away from the window.  As the sound of footsteps grow louder, Emma’s heart begins to flinch uncontrollably and stars unexpectedly start to twinkle in her vision due to dizziness.  Running on pure adrenaline, Emma sprints the best she can with a damaged knee to her sleeping bag and quickly hides her damaged hands under the thin blanket she has been provided.  She takes one last deep inhale and exhale before she hears the sound of a heavy door open. 

“Hello Emma.”  Norman greets with a smirk as he approaches a seemingly defeated Emma.  “Quiet again today I see.  Well, I guess I’ll just talk then.”  He shrugs his shoulders with a creepy grin still displayed.  “I have some news that you will want to hear.”

Emma glances up to see unkind, blue eyes staring back at her. 

Without hesitation, Norman immediately reveals the recent discovery about his brother, void of any emotion.  “Dylan is gone.  He left you and he’s not coming back.”

Wetness instantly floods the corner of her eyes, with one tear escaping down her left cheek.  “What?” She asks in barely a whisper, hugging herself tightly under the blanket as an involuntary response.

Norman steps closer to the now shivering girl, towering over her as a form of intimidation.  “You heard me.  He’s gone Emma.” 

Emma’s mind all of a sudden goes blank and her stare becomes distant, blocking out any further words Norman has to say.

“You made mother angry.  She’s inconsolable and you don’t even care.  You don’t care about anyone but yourself Emma,” he speaks bitterly with a furrowed brow.  “You’re never leaving this place, so get used to it.”

Emma hears nothing.  Not the insults thrown at her, not the accusations directed towards her, and definitely not the threat that was spoken to her.  The only words she heard was, _“Dylan is gone and he’s not coming back.”_

Nothing snaps her out of the emptiness she’s feeling inside.  Not even the earsplitting echo of her prison door slamming shut breaks Emma free of her trance.

XXXX

**_Three days later… Day 11_ **

After another failed attempt to track down Dylan, an exhausted Norma and Romero return home.  Norma has become even more distressed about her eldest son disappearing, causing the Sheriff to use every resource in his power to try to find his stepson.  Unfortunately, he has hit yet another dead end in their search. 

In trying to trace Dylan’s phone number a couple of days ago, he was informed the phone had been turned off and ultimately disconnected.  The Sheriff then immediately turned to plan B…  Gunner.  But, if the kid knows anything, he isn’t sharing. 

Yesterday, Gunner continued to deny any knowledge of Dylan’s whereabouts when he was confronted, but Romero is still highly suspicious.  The Sheriff decides tomorrow morning he’ll pay another visit to the cabin in order to continue to push his limits with the kid, believing eventually Gunner will let valuable information slip.  

Romero gently touches Norma’s tense shoulders as she stares blankly at the letter from her son, which hasn’t been moved since it was read a few days ago.  Seeing his wife breakdown in front of him on a daily basis is slowly breaking Romero’s heart.  Deep down he knows Norma is being dramatic about this situation, but he can’t have her continue living this way.  So, regardless of how unnecessary he feels this investigation is, finding Dylan is his priority.  The Sheriff hasn’t changed his views about Dylan being an adult, believing he’s free to make his own choices.  But, he chooses to push his opinions aside and remember he’s doing all of this for the sake of his wife’s happiness.

“We’ll find him Norma,” Romero says softly with the palms of his hands still resting on her slumped shoulders.  He then leans down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head for comfort and reassurance.

Norma breaks her gaze with a blink and instinctively reaches her hand up to touch his, while her tears continue to trickle down her already stained cheeks. 

Romero removes his hands from her and walks around to take a seat on the chair next to her when he suddenly notices a red flickering light.  “We have a message,” he advises as he strides toward the house phone. 

After pressing the flashing light, a loud beep sounds announcing the upcoming message which was left about an hour ago.  A frantic voice then begins to speak…

**_“Norma?  Are you there?  This is Will Decody.  I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Emma.  I haven’t received her daily text message in the past few days and I’m beginning to get worried.  I tried calling her, but her phone is turned off.  And when I tried calling Dylan, his phone was disconnected.   Can you please have her call?  This isn’t like her not to contact me.  I hope she’s safe and there’s some sort of explanation for all of this.”_** Mr. Decody sighs and then clears his throat before he continues.  **_“Please someone contact me as soon as possible.  My new number is #206-555-1234.”_**

Stillness washes over the room as both Norma and Romero process the message they just heard and gradually realize what it means.  The Sheriff’s eyebrows lift and his jaw drops slightly as the atmosphere remains soundless for a moment.  Norma then breaks the silence with a loud gasp and jerks up from her chair.  Her high heels click against the kitchen floor as she rushes to Romero’s side and reaches for his hand eagerly.  Norma squeezes his hand in hers while gently massaging her thumb over his knuckles.  Desperate for reassurance from her husband, she turns to face him with her reddened and teary filled eyes. 

“Alex, we need to find them… NOW!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spoilers: A previous White Pine Bay resident returns, but he may not be alone.  
> **Let me know what you think, please leave a comment or a kudo. Thanks for reading!


	10. There's No Place Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dylan receives shocking and unexpected information regarding Emma. An unwanted guest appears on the doorsteps of the Bates’ residence. And, Emma is closer than ever to her happy ending, or is her mind simply playing tricks on her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m unsure of this chapter. To be honest I am extremely nervous to post this but readers deserve an update, so here it is! Please help me out by leaving a review or a kudo to let me know how I am doing. I value readers’ opinions and take them seriously when I write. I still have ideas, but without feedback it’s tough to continue.
> 
> *I'm adding the Day count to each chapter in order to keep track of how long Emma has been missing*

Day 12

Dylan is startled awake from his restless slumber by the obnoxious sound of his ring tone.  “Christ,” he mumbles into his pillow with a loud groan.  Gradually, he turns over from his stomach onto his back and stares at the ceiling.  In deep thought, Dylan stays in this position for about fifteen minutes before he decides to finally begin his morning rituals.  Unfortunately, missing hours of sleep and the reevaluation of his choice to move have become a part of his daily routine.  Ignoring the missed call, Dylan forces himself out of his bed and reluctantly begins his day.

Since arriving in Costa Rica four days ago, Dylan hasn’t slept more than a couple hours.  How can he rest when the same three questions continue to haunt his thoughts over and over again?  ‘ _Has he done the wrong thing by moving away from Emma and his family?  Was he too hasty in his decision to leave?  Will he ever be able to move forward with his life without Emma?’_  He doesn’t know how to turn his mind off or even relieve the knot in his stomach that has been plaguing him ever since he left the airport.

Right now Dylan is sluggishly getting ready for his third day of work.  Maybe it was a mistake to start his new employment immediately after arriving to his new home versus giving him time to adjust to his new surroundings.  He continuously tells himself this is the reason why he feels so unsettled, shaking off the idea of leaving his family and Emma being the true cause of his internal problems.

The loud noise of his phone ringing from his bedroom once again disturbs him.  He chooses to ignore the call for a second time as an odd form of punishment for the persistent caller.  The only people who have his new number are Caleb, Gunner and Remo.  They can wait.     

After getting ready for the day, Dylan walks back into his bedroom when he hears the annoying and familiar ringing for the third time.  He rolls his eyes as he steps towards the nightstand and sees Gunner’s name flash on the display.

He answers in exasperation after the fourth ring while walking in the direction of the living room, before slouching down on his couch in a more comfortable position.  “What do you want Gunner?”

A timid female voice on the other end of the line surprises him.  “Dylan?”  

There is a long, awkward pause while Dylan tries to register in his mind the identity of the caller.  In confusion, he pulls the phone away from his face and glances at the screen before returning it back to his right ear, only to hear soft whimpers on the other line.

“Norma?”  He sighs in aggravation while pinching the bridge of his nose with his left thumb and index finger.  “Put Gunner on the phone.  NOW!”

After a minute filled with muffled voices, a shaky male voice comes on the line.  “Hey.”

“What the hell Gunner!?!  I’m gone for a few days and already you give Norma my number.  What don’t understand about keeping this a secret!?!  Obviously I can’t trust you.  I’m glad I never told you where I am, otherwise she would be standing at my front door right now.”

Gunner squeezes his eyes shut as his friend shouts through the phone, loud enough for everyone standing near him to hear the angry response.  He clears his throat and then responds with hesitation.  “There’s a good reason for -“ 

Dylan interrupts before another word can be spoken.  “I don’t care about the reason.  Don’t you understand?  This is what she does.  She manipulates people to get what she wants.”

More undetectable and crackling noises come over the line for a few seconds before a new deeper voice becomes clearer.  “Just listen.  Something -“

Dylan stops listening and interferes with the other voice’s urging comments by speaking at an increased volume.  “Holy shit!  Remo?  You fell for her bullshit too.”

“SHUT UP kid!”  Remo yells into the phone with authority, causing the younger man to cease all of his mocking remarks instantly.  The older man sighs and then continues to speak when he finally hears nothing coming from the other line.  “Listen to me!  Your girlfriend is missing.”

An uncomfortable silence halts the conversation for a few minutes, before a voice breaks the uneasy calmness.

“Emma isn’t my girlfriend anymore, Remo.  She made that decision, not me.  In fact, she made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with me.  Besides, I would imagine with all of the Sheriff’s connections, he’ll be able to track her down.  She’s in Seattle with her father somewhere.”  Dylan then pauses and continues in a noticeably insecure tone.  “It’s obvious she doesn’t want me in her life anymore, so I can’t help you.”

While Dylan was giving his rather victimized response, he didn’t notice the muffled noises once again coming from the other end of the line.  The Sheriff had now become the listener, waiting for the perfect time to interject with the vital information he’s gathered.  “We spoke to her father last night.  Emma hasn’t been with him this entire time.  Actually, Mr. Decody assumed she has been with you.”  Romero softens his words and decreases his volume, knowing this is all difficult for the young man to hear.  “I’m sorry son, but she is indeed missing.”

Dylan sits up straight on the couch immediately with widened eyes.  “What!?!”  He questions and then continues with a quiet stutter.  “Wh-wha-what are you talking about?”

“She’s missing and has been for days now.  We believe she’s being held against her will somewhere.” Romero pauses for a moment, letting out a tiny cough to alieve his tightened throat.  “We don’t think Emma sent that message to you, Dylan.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second.”  Dylan’s mind is traveling in circles while he tries to make sense of everything.   

But, instead of giving his stepson time to think, Romero’s attitude suddenly changes.  He’s growing impatient and exasperated with Dylan’s apprehensive reaction to the news of his girlfriend’s disappearance.  “We don’t have a second Massett!  You need to come back here and help us find her right now!” 

A discreet click is all Romero hears as a response.   

XXXX

Dylan ends the tense call, immediately dropping the phone from his now lifeless right hand to the couch cushion next to him. 

Everything is happening so fast, spinning out of control for him.  All he needs is a moment to think, which he can’t do with the Sheriff shouting in his ear. 

In an attempt to stabilize his confusing thoughts, Dylan takes a deep breath and sinks back further into the couch.  Lifting the palms of his hands to his face, he sighs loudly as he applies pressure to his eye sockets with the heel pads of his hands. 

Dylan’s ring tone continues to sound over and over again next to him, but he no longer hears any noise.  He doesn’t hear the knock on his front door, keys clinking against each other, the banging of heavy footsteps pacing against the tile floor, or even someone repeatedly calling out his name.  He’s too lost in his own mind to acknowledge any sound happening around him.    

All of a sudden the feeling of a hand shaking his arm snaps him out of his trance, causing him to come back into reality with a noticeable flinch.  Dylan limply drops his hands from his face to his sides with a thump against the cushions on either side of his slumped body. 

Caleb sees the obvious distress in his son’s current condition and automatically starts asking questions, a little frantically.  “Are you alright? Your phone has been ringing non-stop.  Didn’t you hear it?  What’s going on? Shit, something happened.  Wha-”

Dylan finally acknowledges his father’s presence by looking up at him with red rimmed eyes, only muttering a few words under his breath.  “I have to go home.”

After hearing those uttered words, Caleb slowly steps backwards and gradually sits down in a nearby chair.  Before knowing the reasons behind the statement, he jumps to the conclusion that he’s failed as a father and his son no longer wants to be near him.  He’s hurt and the expression on his face must be apparent because Dylan attempts to reassure him this is about something other than his parenting skills.  “I know what you’re thinking, but it has nothing to do with you Caleb.”

In relief, Caleb drops his head to look at the hands clasped tightly in his lap and forms a smile.  However, his smile quickly disappears when he glances up at his son to notice the same continued sad expression.  “Can you tell me why you’ve changed your mind?”  He asks gently, careful not to upset the young man further.

“I’m not leaving for good, but I do need to go back for a little while.”  Dylan’s voice weakens.  “Emma is missing.”

Caleb stares at his son in disbelief for a moment before he shoves his hands in his jacket to look for something, ultimately pulling a phone from his right pocket.  “Aha!”  He exclaims in victory and then starts to furiously tap on the display of his phone, causing Dylan to raise an eyebrow at the scene.

“Um, what are you doing?”       

Without looking up from his screen, Caleb responds as if the answer should be obvious.  “I’m buying tickets for a flight to Oregon.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Dylan scrunches his forehead and simultaneously moves his right hand to the back of neck for a moment to soothe an ache that has developed since ending the earlier phone call. “Tickets?”

There is a noiseless pause that stretches for what seems like hours, but in reality is only about 15 minutes.  Dylan uses the soundless time to digest his thoughts while his father uses the quiet to concentrate on his task.  “Done!”  Caleb finally announces meeting his son’s confused stare.  “Yeah, I’m going with you.”

Feeling a little uncomfortable with the offer, Dylan shifts slightly in the couch cushion he’s perched on and drops his eyesight to his lap.  “You don’t have to do this, Caleb.  This isn’t your problem.”

Forming a reassuring smile for the younger man, Caleb is quick to explain.  “I know I don’t have to, but you’re my son and I want to be there for you.”

Dylan attempts to return the smile, but instead his lips part slightly and his expression turns to concern. “What about Chick?  He’s still out there somewhere.  It’s too risky for you to go back.”

“Let me worry about him.” 

Dylan sighs.  “I just don’t think this is a good idea Caleb.  I appreciate the offer, but Chick isn’t the only problem and you know that.” 

“Norma and I have settled things.  We’re fine now.”

“I’m not talking about Norma.  I’m talking about her husband.  Have you forgotten that he’s the Sheriff there?  Romero could put you in jail the second he sees you.  Remember, you still have an outstanding warrant.  If he does a background check on you, you’ll be shit out of luck.”

Caleb simply shrugs his shoulders.  “Well, I’ll deal with that if it happens.  I guess I’ll just have to be extra nice to the good Sheriff then.”  The older man then claps his hands together and stands up from his seat abruptly.  He tilts his head downward to meet his son’s eyes again with a slight grin.  “Anyway, the flight leaves in a few of hours so pack and I’ll be back.”

Caleb eagerly steps toward the front door, now becoming distracted with making a mental check list of the things he will need to complete before they leave.  But, before he can reach the door, Dylan springs up from the couch to quickly follow him.  “Hey Caleb, hold on a sec.  There is something else we need to talk about.”

Letting go of the doorknob, Caleb stops abruptly and turns to face his son.  “Yeah?”

Glancing downward while transferring his weight between his feet in awkwardness, Dylan takes a deep breath and apprehensively informs Caleb of the painful subject.  “I really don’t want to bring this up, but I feel like I have to.”  He then tentatively looks his father in the eyes.  “I can’t acknowledge you as my dad there.  To everyone you are my uncle.  They can’t know the truth Caleb for so many reasons.”

Dylan sees disappointment gradually consume Caleb’s expression, causing his heart to pinch in guilt for bringing all of this to his father’s attention.  “Yeah, I know,” Caleb softly responds. 

“But, I’ll know the truth.”  Dylan says we a genuine smile while warmly patting the older man on his shoulder a few times.

XXXX

After over a six hour flight, Caleb and Dylan finally arrive in White Pine Bay.  Jet-leg hits them hard as they sluggishly step up the long stairwell leading to the Bates’ house.  With a struggling breath, Dylan reaches the front door followed closely by an exhausted Caleb.  Dylan hesitantly lifts his knuckles to the wood, knocking repeatedly while glancing back to see his father’s apprehensive expression. 

The younger man never called his mother back after the tense phone call he received earlier in the day, instead he simply sent a message to Gunner telling him when and where to pick up the pair.  Because of this Dylan is unsure of how his mother and the Sheriff will react to his homecoming, but all worry is forgotten when the front door whips open and the feeling of arms tightly wrap around him.

Norma buries her face into her eldest son’s stiff shoulder as she sniffles.  “I’m so happy to see you here,” she whimpers.  

“Umm.  Yeah of course,” he responds shakily as he struggles to loosen her grip around him so he can breathe. 

Romero shakes his head fondly with a tiny smile threatening to break his usual stoic demeanor.  “Alright Norma.  Let the boy breathe.”  The Sheriff then reaches forward with his left arm to grab her waist in order to gently pull her away and move her body close to him.  Gripping her snugger in his hold, Romeo notices another familiar face standing behind his stepson.  A face he is not happy to see.

The couple moves to the side in order to let Dylan step through the doorway, leaving Caleb alone outside. 

Norma’s red eyes widen in surprise to see her brother standing in front of her.  “Oh, hi.  I didn’t even see you there.”

Caleb’s pulse starts to race and his palms begin to feel damp when he sees his sister’s obviously nervous expression and the angry scowl plastered on the Sheriff’s face.  He’s made a mistake by coming here.  Maybe all is not forgiven and forgotten like he thought it was?

Romero steps forward in a protective motion and mildly pushes his wife backwards to move her further inside the house. “Norma, why don’t you go in and get Dylan settled.  I need to speak to your brother for a moment.”  She timidly nods in agreement and follows her husband’s request, securing the front door behind her.

As soon as the Sheriff hears the door close he aggressively strides toward the jumpy man in front of him, close enough to shove his index finger forcefully against his chest.  “You are not welcome here!”

Caleb tries to take a careful step backward to increase the space between him and the furious man, but Romero encloses the distance.  “I will not have a rapist stay in this house.  And yes, I know exactly what happened because Norma told me everything.”

Caleb doesn’t know what to do so he stands still and keeps his mouth clamped shut, deep down he knows he deserves Romero’s rage.  It’s not worth the fight even though his instinct is to rebel against the Sheriff’s attitude.

Seeing his intimidation tactics have apparently worked, the Sheriff drops his hand and takes a step backward.  “You are his father aren’t you?” He asks quietly, narrowing his eyes.  “Fuck, I knew it as soon as you were standing next to him.”  Caleb simply nods his head in response. 

Romero continues to establish his dominance during the heated exchange.  “This is what is going to happen… You are going to make an excuse and insist you stay somewhere else.  I really don’t care where.”  He clears the tightness in his throat by letting out a short cough.  “I know about your warrant Caleb.  I’m warning you right now, if you step out of line in any way, you’ll be taken to jail.  I’m only looking the other way because you are Dylan’s father and he’s got enough problems to deal with.” 

Caleb drops his stare briefly and then agrees with another nod.

XXXX

After the explosive confrontation with the Sheriff, Caleb advises his son he will be staying elsewhere.  Even though Dylan pleads for him to stay, he adheres to the Sheriff’s command and makes arrangements to stay at the cabin while residing in White Pine Bay. 

As he and his son wait outside for Gunner to pick him up, plans are made to start the search for Emma first thing in the morning.

Once Gunner arrives to pick up his father, Dylan rushes back up the outside stairs and catches up on all of the details of Emma’s mysterious disappearance from Romero and his mother. 

Dylan stares blankly at the two concerned faces in front of him.  Unconsciously, he taps his fingertips on the kitchen table surface as a form of stress relief while absorbing all of the information the Sheriff is saying regarding Emma’s disappearance.  With every word he hears, a strong feeling of guilt grows and twists harshly at the knot formed deep in his stomach.  He should have never left Emma behind.  “You said earlier you don’t believe she sent that message to me.  Do you honestly believe that is true or was that just a way to get me back here?”  Dylan asks with squinted eyes and hope in his heart.  Somehow it would comfort him to hear the text does not convey Emma’s true feelings. 

The Sheriff shakes his head once and then clarifies his action.  “We don’t believe she sent you that text, Dylan.  In fact, we don’t think any of the messages sent to her father were directly from her either.  This whole thing just doesn’t add up.” 

With a small sigh of relief, Dylan nods and slightly stammers his response with a tiny grin.  “Okay."

Dylan’s hands stop trembling for a moment and a comfortable hush fills the air.  But, this peace is soon broken with the sound of Norma’s softened tone regarding a different subject… Norman.

“Honey, I was hoping you could do me a favor?”  Norma asks while reaching her hand to cover Dylan’s gently. 

Dylan responds with a roll of his eyes, sensing this is the real reason his mother wants him home.  “Let me guess.  This has something to do with my little brother.  You want me to babysit him again.”  He huffs dramatically and runs his hand roughly through his hair out frustration.  “Alright Norma, where is he?”

A wide grin appears on his mother’s face, grateful she’ll have a helping hand with her youngest child.  “Norman is downstairs, like he always is these days.”  She sighs, leaning back in her chair.  “He spends all of his time down there now, it’s just not healthy.  I don’t know how to put this - he’s weird.”

Dylan and Romero can’t hide the smirks they exchange from across the table.  This is not news to either of them.

Biting his bottom lip to hold back a chuckle regarding his mother’s description of his little brother, Dylan scoots backward causing a loud screech noise to sound as his chair scrapes across the floor.  He then hoists himself from his seat and walks toward the doorway, turning around briefly to say one last thing before leaving the room.  “I’ll go down there and talk to him.  But just so you know mom, Norman has always been weird.”  He jokes while making eye contact with the Sheriff who can’t seem to keep a straight face no matter how hard he tries, earning a dirty look and a sharp jab to his side from his wife.

XXXX

Emma is numb. 

Ever since Dylan left a few days ago, Emma can feel her soul slowly slip away and her spirit gradually diminish.  The previous goal of breaking free from her concrete cage has been forgotten. 

Some things have remained the same though, regardless of her current state of mind.  For instance, Emma’s nightly dinner is consistently flushed away, eliminating any chance for the extra ingredient Norman includes to contaminate her bloodstream.  Maybe subconsciously she’s holding onto a glimmer of hope that she’ll once again be free.  However, it is more likely she continues this activity in order to stay aware of her surroundings.  Observing the many different behaviors of her troubled friend frightens her more than anything; therefore, slipping out of consciousness is not an option for her.

Emma may have lost her internal fighting spirit, but she refuses to lose all of her senses.

In recent days, instead of putting all of her efforts into escaping she has been passing the time resting, daydreaming and trying to keep up with Norman’s spontaneous personality swaps.  Every once in a while she catches herself stealing a glimpse of the unsecured window covering and imagining being anywhere else but there, especially when a random beam of light sneaks through the cracks.    

After several days of holding onto the belief Dylan would somehow save her from this mess, Emma has now accepted her role as a helpless prisoner and nothing short of a miracle will change her current mindset.  But, today is different than all the other days she’s suffered through. 

Today is the day a miracle happens…

A familiar noise suddenly breaks the stillness of the echoing room causing Emma to pull her concentration from the book in her hands to the direction of the door.  As the heavy door creeps open, Emma’s jaw slips ajar and her eyes widen animatedly as a well-known body cautiously moves toward her.  Tears start to pool in the corner of her eyes, with a couple escaping down her now blushed cheeks while _“The Great Gatsby”_ paperback drops from her unsteady fingertips to the ground with a thump.

Only one whispery sound can leave her lips in her state of shock.

“Dylan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Is Dylan really there, or is this a figment of Emma’s imagination? Also, I know this chapter was not my best. I apologize.


	11. Once Upon a Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norman is unhappily surprised by the sudden appearance of a visitor who threatens to destroy his plans. Romero and Norma have a long overdue conversation. And, Dylan takes some time to reflect on new the information he’s received. 
> 
> *FYI, the different scenes are happening simultaneously and are sectioned off according to the characters involved*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I want to explain something regarding Norman’s behavior. Norman is irrational, paranoid and desperate at this point. His actions may not make sense to readers, but that is the point I’m trying to demonstrate. With such a severe case of mental illness his mind is in a constant manic state and as a result he’s unable to formulate clear decisions, making him extremely dangerous. 
> 
> **As a side note… I’m sorry for posting this chapter so late. I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I've posted, shameful. Unfortunately, I caught a nasty case of writer’s block and then became completely unmotivated to move ahead with this. Even though I had a set-back, I hope to not abandon this story. Actually, I estimate about 2-3 more chapters with maybe an epilogue? I'm not sure yet, but I'm always open for suggestions.
> 
> **A BIG thanks to all of you for continuing to read this fiction! Please help me out by sharing your opinions through comments. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have and of course, I always love kudos :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy…

“Dylan?”

Day 12 - (about 15 minutes prior)

Norman uncoordinatedly balances a spinning spoon on the surface of the now almost empty plate in one shaky hand and a half-empty glass of milk in the other.With his hands full he awkwardly drops the dinnerware on his nearby work table with a clash and then rushes to lock the door to Emma’s little prison.

Norma and the Sheriff have been completely consumed with not only his brother’s sudden disappearance for the last few days, but now also Emma’s.With the duo being preoccupied with searching, they’ve literally missed what is happening right under their noses.This could not be a better situation for Norman.Due to all of the distractions happening in the Bates’ residence currently, his mother is gradually loosening her suffocating grip on him, allowing him more freedom to complete his sinister plan.Of course he thrives on Norma’s attention, nothing has changed in that respect.But, by keeping Emma captive he feels as though he is granting his mother some sort of gift, the gift of revenge.After overhearing his mother blame Emma for his older brother’s emotional meltdown and ultimately his vanishing act, Norman convinces himself she’ll be proud of him and thank him for what he has done for her.

However, there is something Norman doesn’t fully understand.Why is his mother putting all of her effort into finding Emma?Why does she seem to care about Emma’s wellbeing all of a sudden?Though when these questions come to his mind, he’s quick to dismiss them by convincing himself his mother is simply playing a game.She’s putting on a show for her new husband and everyone else close to her, but Norman knows the truth.A secret shared only between mother and her youngest son, a bond that can’t be broken.

This has not been a flawless abduction though.The tracing of Emma’s phone which prompted him to immediately turn off her cell in a panic was an unexpected hiccup in his plan.Turning off the phone would have been fine; however, he forgot to turn it back on to continue sending the daily messages to her father.This mistake eventually has led to a chain of events pointing to her abduction.He’s been mentally kicking himself for making that vital error and has since vowed to himself to be more careful in the future.

Norman emerges from securing the heavy door to the secret room with a huff in his breath and proceeds to push a relatively light shelving unit to its original resting place used as a disguise for the small prison hidden inside the basement walls.Since the shelf has small rollers fastened underneath, it’s easily portable and emits only the tiniest of sound when actually moved.The piece of furniture is perfect to camouflage the virtually non-existent outline of the entrance to the caged area.

Once everything is in place and Norman is satisfied with the position of the shelf, he steps away only to find a familiar shadow staring at him.Norman’s eyes open wide and his shoulders flinch backward dramatically at the unexpected sight.“Wha- what are you doing here?”He stutters with a noticeably insecure voice.“I thought you left.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”Dylan smirks while stepping closer to his little brother.“I’m here for Emma.”

Norman’s pulse begins to race and his thoughts spin around in his head with worry that maybe his secret has somehow been discovered.“Wh-wha-what?”He gulps loudly and continues to speak unsteadily. “Sh-she’s not here.”

Dylan rolls his eyes theatrically.“Yeah, obviously.I’m here to help find her.”He pauses for a moment, noticing his little brother’s uncomfortable and jittery demeanor.

Upon hearing Dylan’s response, Norman sighs in relief.He feels a sense of security in realizing his secret is still safe, growing smugger with his words and appearance.“Mother didn’t mention you were coming back.”

Dylan glances around the room briefly, turning his back to his brother while stepping dangerously close to the piece of furniture acting as a cover for the locked door behind it. “Yeah, well, she didn’t exactly know.”

Norman’s breathing intensifies the closer his brother gets to the shelf.In a panic, he attempts to divert the older man’s attention. “Emma left you, Dylan.You need to accept that.”

Dylan stops dead in his tracks and abruptly turns to face his younger brother with resentment in his eyes.“You don’t know shit about this Norman!”He then squeezes his eyes shut momentarily and takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm his anger from rising further.Dylan silently reminds himself he needs more patience in dealing with his baby brother because Norman isn’t like other people.He drops his eyesight toward the ground and weakens his voice; almost as if he’s not entirely certain if Emma left him behind or not.“Emma didn’t leave me.” he tries to state with confidence, but in reality he’s only 50% positive Emma didn’t dump him and stomp on his already damaged heart. 

Norman smirks while crossing his arms, proud of himself for distracting the older man.“Keep telling yourself that.”

Instead of offering a snarky comeback, Dylan turns away and notices Norman’s workspace.He covers his mouth and nose instantly upon discovering the rotting bird on the table, gagging at the sight.Suddenly becoming very aware of the overpowering smell filling the area, he gasps loudly.Even more unsettling than the odor radiating throughout the space is the dishes placed alongside a bottle of formaldehyde and the mutilated bloodied bird.“Damn!Are you eating down here!?!”He coughs into his right hand and raises an eyebrow as he observes the entire troubling scene.“Does mom know you’re doing this?”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”Norman shouts repeatedly like a toddler throwing a tantrum with his arms now uncrossed, face turning red with rage and hands forming tight fists at his sides. 

Dylan cringes at the sudden screech of Norman’s voice and immediately attempts to hold his breath as he removes his hand from his face.“Jesus Norman calm down!You’re being ridiculous, just relax.”Dylan raises his eyebrows and then rolls his eyes for the second time during the confrontation.“Alright, I’ll leave you alone for now but you need to lighten up.Anyway, always good to see you little brother,” he says sarcastically with a sigh of exasperation.

In seeing Norman’s behavior today, Dylan realizes he needs to be a little more aggressive when it comes to monitoring his brother’s actions.

As Dylan leaves the basement and walks up the stairs with a chill in his spine, he’s already made a decision.In his mind, he’s making a solemn oath to follow the younger man’s behavior closely, even if that means literally becoming his shadow.He’ll have to be stealthy about his movements though because Norman is unpredictable, paranoid and even dangerous.His mom is right.There is something wrong with Norman.

XXXX

The Sheriff is preoccupied.

Mere minutes ago Romero tried his best to stay focused during the conversation with Dylan and Norma, concentrating on discussing the facts he’s discovered regarding Emma’s disappearance by reading the file lying on the table in front of him.After Dylan was finally filled in on all the information gathered regarding his girlfriend’s mysterious departure, the Sheriff’s thoughts drifted to another subject.As he watched his stepson leave the room to check on his younger brother, silence fills the air.In the stillness, Romero becomes consumed with the file placed underneath Emma’s… Caleb’s file.

He’s lost in his thoughts for an excessive amount of time when he feels the gentle touch of a hand covering his.Instinctually, he snaps his eyes upward to meet the concerned stare of his wife.

“Alex?Are you alright?”She asks quietly, now softly massaging his knuckles with her thumb.

“Sorry Norma.I just have some things on my mind.”He responds, looking down at the folders sitting in front of him on the kitchen table.

“Well, I’m not surprised with everything going on lately.This isn’t something you have to take on your own anymore though.Dylan is here to help with Norman now, so I can help you even more with Emma’s search.Plus, Mr. Decody should be arriving tomorrow morning to help too.”She sighs.“I just don’t think it’s a good idea for Dylan to work on the investigation.”

Romero raises an eyebrow in confusion.“Why don’t you want him to help?Isn’t that why we wanted him here?”

Norma releases his hand and stands up from the table.She then slowly steps toward the kitchen window to gaze at the peaceful darkness outside, turning her back to her husband.After a few moments of quiet Norma turns to face Romero again and lightly crosses her arms, letting a deep breath escape her lungs.“Yes, of course I wanted him here to help find her.But, after seeing his face and his reaction to everything we were saying to him regarding Emma, I don’t think it’s good for him to get involved this.”She uncrosses her arms and wipes the tear forming in her eyes with her left hand.“I can’t put him through all of the disappointment.My son is strong, but he can become overwhelmed and you’ve seen how he handles problems.It’s just too risky for him, can’t you see that Alex?I refuse to put him through anymore heartache than he’s already feeling over this.”She wipes another tear before it falls down her cheek.“I can tell he blames himself for leaving her behind, even though it’s not his fault.”

“So you want to lie to him?”

Norma rushes back to the table to sit next to her husband and grasps his hand to cover with both of hers, interlocking her fingers around his newly formed fist.“No, we’re not going to lie to him.Technically, we’ll be reassuring him.”

The Sheriff shakes his head in response and voices his unease with this.“I don’t feel good about keeping things from him Norma.It’s not right.”

“I understand why you feel that way, but I’m his mother and I know what is best for him.He needs to be kept away from this investigation and I will make sure he does.Besides, I need help with Norman.Dylan can find out way more information than I can about his condition.He’ll be able to tell me how far Norman has slipped away from reality.My son isn’t always honest with me and sometimes I believe he pretends everything is alright in order to seek out my approval, but with Dylan he’ll be different.”

Romero uses his other forefinger and thumb to briefly pinch the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyelids shut briefly.He doesn’t want to agree to this, but maybe Norma does know what’s best for both her sons.It’s not really his place to judge her relationship with them.“Alright Norma, I’ll go along with this.I just hope it doesn’t blow up in both our faces when Dylan finds out we’re deliberately keeping him from this search.”

“Everything will be fine, I promise.Anyway, my brother is here to help us find her as well.An extra pair of eyes during this will be helpful.I’ll let him know to follow our lead in regards to keeping Dylan out of this.He’s close to his sss- nephew so I know he’ll want to do what’s best for him too.”She stutters weakly, flashing a small and uncomfortable smile when she realizes she almost gave away her largest secret.

The Sheriff winces at the mere mention of Caleb.He can’t hold in his annoyance any longer.“Norma, we need to talk about Caleb.”

The smile leaves her face and is replaced with a frown.She harshly rips her hands from his and scoots her chair backwards to create distance between her and her husband.“No, we don’t.I shouldn’t have told you anything.My brother and I are in a good place now and I want to keep it that way.”

Romero narrows his eyes in response and his tone becomes forceful.“What he did to you is not something I can simply forget Norma.”

Norma stands up from her chair aggressively and shouts, losing her composure.“This is none of your business Alex.If I say everything is fine, then it is!”

He directs his eyes upward to make contact with hers.“I know what you’re trying to cover up.You didn’t tell me everything about your past, but I know.”

Her teary eyes open wide in both surprise and disgust when she hears those words from her husband.Her biggest fear has come true.

“Dylan is Caleb’s son, isn’t he?Never mind, you don’t need to answer that because I already know he is.”Romero stands from his seat to close the gap between the two of them and reaches for her, but she pulls away sharply.“Does Dylan know?”

Norma stands still for a moment and then gradually steps closer to her husband, cautiously accepting his embrace.She sniffles while nuzzling her tear stained cheeks into his chest seeking comfort.“Yes,” she mutters with a small nod.“Please don’t tell him you know.He’ll be crushed that you found this out.”

“Sure Norma,” he replies quietly while continuing to hold her, placing a small kiss to the top of her head.“I won’t say anything.”

XXXX

Dylan walks upstairs and hesitantly closes the basement door behind him.After the rather unproductive conversation with his younger brother, Dylan grows increasingly more concerned.Nervous to tell his mom just how ill Norman really is, he tentatively steps closer to the kitchen where he can hear voices.However as he steps closer to the doorway, he stops abruptly when he hears the conversation turn hostile.Instead of interrupting Dylan elects to approach his mother later and starts to walk away when he hears a familiar name.He doesn’t like to eavesdrop in on private chats, but Caleb’s name instantly pulls him closer to the other room.This is exactly what he was worried about when his father offered to accompany him back to White Pine Bay.The Sheriff figured out Caleb has a warrant.This is what he expects to hear through the wall of the kitchen, but oddly there is no mention of the warrant.Instead the discussion takes a different turn and is focused on a family secret.A secret he was hoping would never be brought up again, especially not to the Sheriff.

During the heated conversation, Dylan’s jaw slips ajar and a large lump starts to form in his throat causing his breathing to become slightly labored.He can’t believe his ears.How could his own mother share such a delicate secret about him?What right does she have to do this to him.His thoughts turn darker and darker as he continues to hear the painful words vibrate through the wall.The shock he felt moments ago now leads to the feeling of fury and bitterness.He’s heard enough.

Careful to not draw attention to his presence, Dylan softly steps past the open doorway of the other room.Glancing to his right briefly he sees the previously argumentative couple now in a deep embrace, making Dylan even more irritated.Tight fists begin to form at his sides while his eyes narrow at the sight of his mother and the Sheriff.Once he reaches the front door, he extends his hand to touch the handle and holds the breath in his lungs while he turns it.He then rapidly strides through the door, carefully closing it behind him.

As soon as the night air hits his face he takes in a deep breath and proceeds to jog down the long outdoor staircase.Once his feet touch the gravel of the parking lot, he stands motionless for a moment trying to figure out his next move.Typically when he feels this way, Dylan would get in his truck and speed away to either the nearest liquor store he could find or escape to the cabin to watch the soothing waves wash over the rocks.But, this time neither of these options are available.

In search of somewhere to collect his thoughts, Dylan discovers a quiet corner table and chair illuminated by a tiny flood light sitting out front of empty room 8 at the motel.Willing his body move, the uneven dirt and gravel under his feet cause him to stumble a bit as he roughly digs one of his hands into his jacket pocket, desperately trying to find the open pack of cigarettes he jammed in there earlier today.When his fingertips touch the unwrapped package, Dylan hurriedly removes a cig and shoves it in between his somewhat trembling lips.Reaching his left hand into another of his pockets, Dylan retrieves the lighter hidden inside and quickly ignites the smoky stick.With a deep inhale, he immediately feels his muscles and nerves relax.He hates the fact that once again he is relying on this bad habit to calm him. 

Sitting in the semi-darkness, Dylan slouches in the chair and gradually begins to unwind.After a while of soaking up the tranquility of the night, the bitterness he was feeling earlier starts to fade.However, the mere thought of the Sheriff knowing his deepest and darkest secret still makes him cringe.As the night air continues to turn cooler, Dylan’s mind slips deeper into reflection.Emma is the first and foremost concern that interrupts his contemplation, followed by Norman’s erratic behavior and lastly, his exposed secret.

While Dylan continues to run different scenarios in his head regarding all of these issues, his eyelids become heavy and his breath starts to even out as he slowly drifts into slumber with Emma’s face as the last image he sees. 

XXXX

“Dylan?”Emma whispers, blinking her blurry eyes.

The footsteps steadily approaching unexpectedly freeze in front of her.“So, you heard him.”Norman speaks harshly, staring down at Emma with icy eyes.“I thought you might have.”

Emma cautiously looks up toward the young man, who is now pacing back and forth rather erratically.His previous confident posture suddenly disappears and is replaced with frazzled movements, putting her even more on edge.

Norman’s arms move frantically as he hurriedly strides back and forth in the room.He then begins to speak to himself with repeated words while rubbing his face roughly with the palms of his hands.“Why is he here?I have to get rid of him.He can’t stay here.I’ve failed….”This behavior continues until a sound, barely louder than a whisper, breaks his concentration.

“Please Norman.Please let me go.”Emma interrupts carefully.“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“SHUT UP!I can’t think!”He yells, stopping briefly to look down at the vulnerable young woman shivering on the concrete floor, feeling no sympathy for her predicament.

After a couple of agonizing and eerie minutes of no sound, Norman once again begins to pace and mutter words to himself over and over again.He covers his ears with his hands and shakes his head violently as he briskly walks the span of the room.

Emma feels helpless and can only watch in horror as she witnesses her former friend emotionally unravel right before her eyes.When she can no longer witness the unsettling scene before her, she moves her shaky hands to shield her eyes, leaving only the disturbing sounds of Norman’s rantings to seep through her eardrums.She intently focuses her thoughts away from her current situation, to the image of Dylan’s smiling face and dreams of the possibilities in seeing him again.

Meanwhile, Norman feels as though his head might explode.The visit from his brother tonight is unexpected and definitely unwanted.At the moment, the thoughts clouding his mind are extremely confusing to him and he’s torn on what his next move should be.Seeking both the approval and attention of his mother, he feels out of control with the many possibilities.As time continues to flash forward, Norman feels more desperate and panicky to find a solution to this new found situation.He knows with his brother back in town, he’ll be watched more closely which is terrifying for Norman.He can’t let that happen. 

During his internal struggle an idea suddenly appears in his twisted brain, bringing a sinister smirk to his face.

Norman has a plan and he needs to put it into action as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will contain Norman's sinister back-up plan, which as you can probably guess already... will not be good.


	12. A Light in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Norman's plan is revealed, but will it work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a hint - an incident occurs in chapter 12 that changes everything for the remainder of this fiction. Basically, this is the beginning of the end. 
> 
> Feel free to leave feedback, it’s always very helpful. 
> 
> Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy…

Day 14:

Dylan can’t bring himself to lift his eyes from staring at the food set in front of him.  Slowly he pushes the food around his plate with a fork, distracted by his thoughts and uncomfortable under the knowing glare of the Sheriff.  He has successfully avoided Romero for the last couple of days, but unfortunately tonight he finds himself sitting across from the enemy. 

Ever since overhearing the upsetting conversation between Romero and his mother days ago, Dylan can’t tolerate being around either of them.  In fact, the only time he has actually interacted with his mother lately is regarding Emma’s disappearance.  Whenever Dylan has offered to assist with the case, Norma immediately dismisses the idea and advises everything is under control. 

Each time Dylan insists on helping to find Emma, his mother is quick to explain how Norman is a distraction to the investigation and it’s best for Dylan to watch over his baby brother.  He has been reluctantly accepting this reasoning, but he’s starting to lose patience.  Even though Norma assures her eldest son everything is moving forward in a positive direction with Emma’s case, he has doubts and suspects his mother isn’t being fully honest with him. 

“Dylan?”  His mother’s soft voice snaps him out of his thoughts, causing his eyes to immediately look up to meet hers.  “Are you alright, honey?  You’ve been so quiet.”

Norma’s words make him cringe.  He awkwardly scans the table only to be met with the look of concern from everyone, well, minus Norman who appears to be wearing a tiny smirk.  “I’m fine,” Dylan grumbles, quickly dropping his gaze to his plate again.  The only reason he is undergoing the torture of this dysfunctional family dinner is for Wil Decody.  Dylan’s guilt and sympathy for Wil is causing him to endure the most uncomfortable meal he’s ever experienced, but it’s becoming more painful by the moment. 

The Sheriff clears his throat to break the tension in the air and then attempts to draw attention elsewhere.  “Well, we should talk about what we are going to be doing for the investigation tomorrow, Wil.”

Norma instantly drops the napkin from her right hand to her lap and then reaches for her husband’s left forearm, startling him.  He flashes her a small smile and then opens his mouth to continue, when his wife interrupts him.  “Um, Norman it looks like you finished your dinner, so you may be excused.”  She then nervously looks across the table to catch a glimpse of her eldest son, who now appears to be intensely focused on the Sheriff’s next words.  “You may be excused also, Dylan.”    

Norman obeys his mother by immediately moving his chair backward and standing up from the table.  “Thank you mother.  Good night.”  He says in composed tone while casually leaving the room.  But, the young man doesn’t go far.  Instead, Norman finds a secret hiding place in order to eavesdrop in on the conversation still taking place in the dining area.  He has to know the progress of Emma’s case. 

XXXX

After the rest of those seated at the table watched Norman leave the room, Dylan can no longer hold in his feelings regarding being deliberately left out of the investigation.  A loud clash sounds throughout the room as he drops his fork to the plate in front of him in disgust.  “I’m not going anywhere Norma!” He yells through gritted teeth while his hands slam down hard on the surface of the table, causing it to rattle everything on top of it.  “I know what you’re trying to do to me and it isn’t happening anymore.  I want to know what is going on to find Emma and I want to know NOW!”

Everyone in the room flinches dramatically at the young man’s actions, but remain quiet.  The Sheriff and his wife exchange worried glances back and forth until Norma finally breaks the silence.  “Dylan.” She directs her sight to her son and then begins to speak in a meek voice, unsure of how to proceed in order to not escalate the situation further.  “I told you, I need your help with your brother.  Nothing is being kept from you sweetie.  We’re continuing to make progress.” 

“Lies!”  He spats, leaning over the tabletop in her direction.  That’s all you ever do, Norma.”  He then leans back in his chair, inhaling and exhaling deeply in an attempt to calm himself.  “Why do you always lie to me?”

“We’re doing all we can, son.”  The Sheriff speaks up, but in a gentle nature to try to diffuse the hostile situation.  “I promise you every effort is being made to find her.”

“Don’t call me son.  You know exactly who my dad is.”  Dylan blurts out with a small smirk. 

Norma and her husband open their eyes wide and drop their jaws in shock at the admission.  Romero tugs on the collar of his shirt with his right index finger, displaying his uneasiness.  Suddenly, his throat feels tight as if he were choking.  The Sheriff then lets out a nervous cough to relieve some pressure before he hesitantly starts speaking again.  Before he can open his mouth though, Norma pinches his forearm discreetly to remind him to be cautious about the information he’s about to share.  He doesn’t look at her in response and ignores the sharp pain she’s inflicting on him.  He’s felt uncomfortable about keeping secrets from his eldest stepson since Norma suggested her plan of hiding the truth.  “Tomorrow your mother, Mr. Decody and I will be concentrating on working with the other departments in the area.  Through Seattle PD we’ve found no leads, so we believe she must have never left this area.”  Romero then feels the presence of an intense glare coming from his wife, but he still continues.  “We are doing everything we can to find her and we will not give up our search.  For now, we don’t have any other information to share with you.”

Dylan’s anger gradually begins to fade while listening to the Sheriff’s words.  His expression softens, revealing a more relaxed demeanor.  “That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Your mother is right about your role here.”  Romero glances at his wife with a slight smile, automatically feeling her grip release from his arm.  “You’re helping by watching Norman.  Norma had been worried, but you’ve brought her some comfort with the situation.  He’s more honest with you and he’s definitely not going to try to impress you like he does her,” He lightly chuckles, bringing a knowing smile to both his wife’s and stepson’s faces.  “We won’t lie to you or disguise the truth anymore Dylan, but we do need you to keep an eye on your brother.”

“Yeah, alright.”  Dylan sighs while scooting back his chair against the floor and gradually standing up from the table.  “So, you’ll be gone tomorrow?”

“Yes, the three of us will be leaving in the morning to speak with a few departments in the surrounding area.   We will check in with you once we receive information, so keep your phone with you.”

“Ok.”  Dylan nods then focuses his attention to Mr.Decody’s direction and speaks softly.  “I’m sorry.  This whole situation has been frustrating, but I shouldn’t have lost it like that.”  He briefly drops his concentration to the ground beneath him before lifting his eyes again.  “I love your daughter Wil and every second without her is becoming more unbearable.”

Wil replies with a reassuring smile.  “I understand, Dylan.  It’s difficult to stay positive during a situation like this, but I know we’ll find her.”

“Thank you Wil. I really needed to hear that tonight,” the young man responds, returning a smile. 

From his stealthy hiding spot, Norman watches his brother walk out of the dining room and step up the stairs.  “Tomorrow,” he whispers to himself as he quietly moves to the basement door to check on his victim located within the walls.

XXXX

Day 15

The next morning, Dylan slowly blinks his eyes open and shifts positions to lay on his back.  Remaining motionless for a moment, he stares at the ceiling and allows thoughts of Emma to cloud his mind.  He misses her deeply.

With a loud yawn and a stretch of his muscles, Dylan peers to his right and notices the time displayed on his clock is 9:20am.  He groans while mentally trying to convince himself to move off the bed and start his day.  Another day of babysitting and spying on Norman is not exactly something he’s looking forward to, but after speaking with Romero last night he realizes the importance.  His brother is dangerous and unpredictable, which could be a recipe for disaster if left on his own.

While sluggishly stumbling towards the bathroom, he passes by Norman’s door.  He sighs in relief when he sees the door is closed, indicating his baby brother is still asleep. 

After 20 minutes, Dylan re-emerges from the bathroom and notices nothing has changed with Norman’s room.  Feeling a little more energetic after his shower, he returns to his room and continues to get ready.  His daily routine is suddenly interrupted with the sound of his ringtone, signaling an incoming text message.  

Dylan sighs and then saunters over to his nightstand to grab his now glowing cell.  In recognizing his father’s name on the display, he quickly picks up his phone and opens the message. 

Since Caleb has accompanied his son back to Oregon days ago, he’s been following his own path regarding the investigation.  After receiving the icy welcome from the White Pine Bay Sheriff, Caleb decided to assist with Emma’s situation by searching for Chick.  It is not out of the realm of possibility the man who is seeking revenge against Caleb could also be responsible for the abduction of his son’s girlfriend.  When his father suggested this as an option on the night they arrived to town, Dylan thought it wouldn’t hurt to broaden the focus.  Of course they couldn’t let Romero in on this hush-hush research without causing suspicion to their previous illegal job of gun trading, so instead Caleb recruited Gunner and Remo to assist him.  Unfortunately, the text only provides more disappointment in advising there are still no clues regarding Chick’s whereabouts. 

With a deep exhale and an eye roll, Dylan shoves his phone in his pocket and leaves his room in search of his little brother.  As he approaches Norman’s room he observes the door is wide open and the space inside empty. Since Norman is generally a creature of habit, Dylan knows if his brother isn’t in his bedroom he’s most likely hiding in the basement. 

As Dylan steps toward the staircase a familiar noise rings loudly from inside Norman’s room.  He freezes and attempts to register in his mind the sound.   Once he recognizes the tune, he runs into Norman’s vacant sanctuary and proceeds to frantically search the room.  In the midst of his hunt, silence once again blankets the area much to Dylan’s frustration.  He shakes his head and begins to convince himself that once again he’s just hearing things because his mind is jumbled with his feelings for Emma.  Hearing her phone’s ringtone is once again a figment of his imagination. 

Dylan takes a step toward the door until the recognized song rings throughout the space again, causing him to abruptly stop.  In an instant, he follows the sound until he stumbles upon something he never thought he’d discover half hidden under his younger brother’s bed.  He can’t believe his eyes as he bends down and reaches with a shaking hand for Emma’s pink phone.  He jolts up to a standing position and hurries out of the room with his girlfriend’s cell held securely in his grip.  So many questions rush through his head as he dashes toward the only place where answers could possibly be…

The basement.             

XXXX

Something is wrong. 

Emma’s eyelids feel heavy and her arms are like steel as they tumble to her sides, hitting the concrete with a thump.  She leans her head backward to rest against the rough wall behind her, while her shoulders slump forward in an eerie relaxation state.  Repeatedly, she senses her outstretched legs twitch involuntarily while the foreign substance begins to overtake her veins. 

Emma has felt this way before, but it can’t be possible for this to be happening to her again.  She’s been so careful.  The diminishing sensation radiating throughout her body causes her to panic.  Even though her motions are dreadfully slow, her pulse begins to race and her lungs start to function irregularly.

None of this makes sense.

It’s morning according to the sliver of sunlight shining through the sloppily covered window, not the evening when Norman consistently adds the extra ingredient.  In all the days she’s been held captive, her captor has never strayed from the schedule.  Why is today different? 

Just as Emma’s eyes begin to flutter shut, a soothing and familiar voice echoes within the walls.  A sudden burst of happiness fills her heart as she uses all the energy she has left in her soul to blink her drowsy eyes open.

XXXX

About mid-way down the staircase Dylan pauses to see _“Unavailable”_ appear across Emma’s phone screen. 

“Where’s Emma!?!”  He shouts into the cell, but he hears no sound from the other line.  When the phone lights up again a few seconds later, he angrily repeats his question only to be met with the same silence.  When the ringing persists for a third time, Dylan chooses to ignore the noise and continues to sprint down the stairs.    

When Dylan approaches the opened basement door the grasp around his girlfriend’s phone instinctually tightens, displaying white knuckles on his right hand.  The only sound he hears is his heart beating wildly against his chest, making it hard to focus.  Carefully and tentatively Dylan walks down the steps, one by one until he finally reaches the solid concrete beneath him. 

“Norman?” Dylan calls out a couple of times within the walls of the darkened and suffocating basement, receiving no response in return.  He’s about to retreat from the area to continue his quest elsewhere; however something catches his eye, a beam of light and an opened door he’s never seen before. 

Dylan is immediately drawn to the illumination coming from the direction of the mysterious open door, but he still proceeds with caution.  The closer he gets to the area he notices the shelving unit which is always located in the same spot is suddenly moved, pushed back to the corner of the vast space.  As he approaches the secretive doorway he pauses for a moment, unsure if he should enter.  His curiosity gets the better of him, so he decides to advance forward.  Inhaling deeply, he steps one foot in front of the other with extreme care.  What he finds inside the cryptic room shocks him.  His eyes squint and his breath hitches while observing the scene in front of him. 

“Emma?”   

XXXX

Emma remains with her back slumped against the coarse wall, unable to move.  When she hears the sound of footsteps coming closer, Emma flickers her eyes rapidly in an attempt to concentrate her vision on the blurry figure in front of her.  Hearing her name spoken from the voice she’s been longing to hear for days, she instantly wills her muscles to spasm.  With all of her effort, the only movement she’s able to achieve is a slight adjustment to her head position against the wall.  Emma desires to reach for him; however, she quickly grows angry when not even a tremor occurs.

As her body desperately fights against sleep, she yearns to feel a pair of familiar arms to wrap around her.  The sensation of her boyfriend’s gentle touch never transpires though.  Instead, during her brief stint of consciousness she witnesses Dylan’s eyes open painfully wide, complexion turn pale and her new phone drop to the ground from his lifeless fingers.

Forcing her eyes to peek open Emma is horrified to see the image of her boyfriend limply fall to his knees, his head collapse forward and a smirking Norman standing above him with what looks like a bloodied scalpel clutched in his right fist.  A whisper escapes her kidnapper’s sinister lips as he peers down at his broken brother.  “That was too easy," he chuckles. "I knew you would fall right into my trap. Emma made you too blind to see what was right in front of you." A loud crash then echoes throughout the prison, the sound of Norman’s shoe powerfully smashing against her now destroyed phone.

No longer able to keep herself awake, Emma’s head drops forward and her sight fades to black as she finally loses all awareness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t hate me. I can’t give anything away, but I promise you won’t be disappointed. Things sometimes get worse before they get better, so hang in there. 2 more chapters left .… Thanks for reading :)


	13. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The outcome of the previous chapter’s confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene is over 4 hours later on day 15.

Day 15

Emma jolts up out of her deep slumber with a loud gasp.As she flickers her eyes open, she instantly feels an icy sensation covering her right hand and an unknown weightleaning on her thigh.Casually glancing down toward her lap, she sees a familiar face using her leg as a pillow.

“It was all a dream,” she whispers with a sigh of relief.Peering down at her boyfriend’s serene expression while he sleeps, she slowly lifts her left hand where it rests at her side in order to softly comb her fingertips through his hair.However, the sense of peace and contentment is suddenly interrupted when a strange feeling reaches her nerves, causing a shiver to travel up her spine.

This hadn’t been a dream at all.“No!” She shouts, hearing her cracking voice echo throughout the prison.

Emma’s eyes widen and immediately scan the cold, damp room while memories flood her mind.Panic fills her heart as she starts to remember the events of earlier today.Tears begin to fill the corner of her eyes, causing her vision to become more distorted.She squeezes her eyelids shut briefly in an attempt to clear away the blurriness and then reopens them to continue checking the room.A sense of hope overwhelms her when she notices the door to her little prison remains ajar.

Her optimism quickly fades though when she sees a third person slumped against the coarse wall near her only path to freedom.Norman is positioned in a similar manner as her with outstretched legs, hands dropped limply to his sides and head hung low.Squinting her eyes in an attempt to get a better view, Emma observes a significant bruise painted on Norman’s left cheek and blood slowly dripping from the back of his head to the concrete floor. 

Her abductor for the past few weeks appears to be motionless.

In the realization of Norman’s condition, Emma springs into action.This may be her only chance to break free.Without delay she moves her hand from her boyfriend’s hair and nudges him gently, but he doesn’t move.“Dylan.Wake up, we have to go.”Since she receives no reaction, Emma rips her right hand free from under his left hoping the loss of contact will stir him from his sleep, but again there is no response.Why hadn’t she noticed how cold his hand is?

She panics, now violently trying to shake him awake.“DYLAN!WAKE UP!”She shouts, tears now streaming down her cheeks.Needing to move him in order to evaluate his condition better, she carefully lifts his head from her lap and gently sets him down onto the surface of her sleeping bag, his abdomen making contact with the thin material.In an instant she kneels to the side of his seemingly lifeless body, frantically searching for injury.It doesn’t take her long to detect a rather large pool of blood soaking through the left side of his t-shirt onto the ground.

Emma leans over him, touching the tips of her index and middle fingers to the surface of his neck.She’s pleasantly surprised when she feels a pulse, but it’s a weak one.Touching the palm of her hand to Dylan’s back, she feels shallow breaths radiating from his lungs.Realizing the severity and urgency of the situation with Dylan, endorphins rapidly discharge throughout her system causing a surge of adrenaline to release in her veins.

Without wasting any time, Emma focuses on getting Dylan to safety.Cautiously she places her boyfriend onto his back, grabs the thin blanket from the top of her sleeping bag to wrap around him and then positions him with his head facing the opened door. Emma peeps over her shoulder to check on her captor’s status, but luckily he remains stationary. When she returns her concentration to Dylan, something shiny catches her eye.She halts her movement for a moment, then reaches for the item off the concrete.The shimmering piece now in her hand is recognized as a key.Without giving it another thought, Emma stuffs the mysterious key in her pocket and then once again focuses her attention on her main task, saving her boyfriend.

She needs to hurry, Norman could wake up at any time.

Seeing her opportunity to flee is still a possibility, Emma swiftly bends down and hooks her arms under Dylan’s.Her muscles strain and stretch during the new awkward position, but she ignores the pain and shuffles her feet backward as fast as she can, pulling a lifeless Dylan with her.Emma’s new lungs struggle with every breath she takes; however, she continues to move closer and closer toward the open door.

Emma’s heart starts to beat wildly against her chest as she nears a seemingly unconscious Norman, giving her an extra burst of energy to pick up her speed.As they pass by her kidnapper, she observes him starting to stir from his slumber and his arms begin to twitch sporadically.Her breath hitches in seeing Norman’s movement suddenly become more effortless.“This isn’t happening.Come on Emma, you can do this” she mumbles to herself through her gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, giving herself a much needed pep talk.

Being mere steps away to her only chance to be free in weeks, immediately prompts her to run backwards with Dylan firmly in her grip.Once they clear the doorway, Emma slowly and protectively lays Dylan flat on the concrete floor, then rushes back to lock the door in order to prevent Norman from escaping.When she reaches back at the secret room again, she notices Norman is stumbling toward her.“EMMA!”He screams as he approaches, extending his right arm out toward her.

Using all of the strength and speed left in her body, she rushes to close the heavy door and attach the lock.Norman continues to stagger forward and screech her name aloud repeatedly, but silence soon spreads across the air when Emma manages to successfully slam the door shut.She holds her breath as her shaky fingers work hurriedly to attach the padlock.

She breathes in deeply and rests her forehead against the chill of the surface as she hears the click of the latch.Squeezing her eyes shut, Emma turns around to lean her back against the door and empties all the air in her lungs.

It’s done.

After savoring a few seconds of independence, Emma’s eyes snap open and she rushes to Dylan’s side.Before dropping to her knees next to him, Emma swiftly shrugs off her sweater and instantly feels the chill in the air seep through her t-shirt.Her teeth chatter and body trembles uncontrollably, but she ignores her own discomfort.Instead, she gathers the article of clothing in her hands, gently lifts Dylan’s head and places the sweater beneath him.Brushing her fingertips against his cheek, she feels his icy exterior which causes her to frantically adjust the blanket covering him.In wrapping him tighter, her hand touches his side to feel blood from his side soaking through the fabric.

Emma’s mind races, knowing she needs help but she can’t bring herself to leave his side to make a call.In thinking back, the memory of her phone being smashed and laying on the concrete in pieces come to her mind.Willing herself to move in order to call from the home phone upstairs, she embraces his hand momentarily in reassurance and reluctantly stands to her feet.

As soon as Emma is about to take her first step up the stairs, a familiar sound echoes throughout the enclosed basement walls.Dylan’s ringtone.As fast as her legs can carry her, she runs back toward Dylan and lightly pats down his sides in hopes of feeling the outline of his phone, careful not disturb his wound.“Yes!”She screeches in happiness, finding his phone stuffed shallowly in his pants pocket.

Not even checking the cracked cell screen to see who is on the other line, Emma instantly touches the green button on the phone to answer the call.

The caller speaks when he hears the other line answer.“Why didn’t you respond to my text?I have-”

Emma immediately interrupts the voice easily recognizing it as belonging to Caleb, excitedly shouting the emergency into the phone.“Dylan is hurt.Hurry to the Bates’ house.I’m in the basement, he needs help! I don’t want to leave him.Please hurry!”

“Emma?”Caleb weakly responds, confused.

“Yes, hurry please!”

Before anymore words can be spoken, Emma hears a click and then silence from the other line.She then drops to the ground and sits next to Dylan’s side.“It’s okay Dylan, you’re going to be fine.I’m getting you help,” she whispers as she already begins dialing another number.

“9-11, what is your emergency.”

XXXX

Romero, Norma and Mr. Decody are looking through various papers regarding Emma’s disappearance and discussing their progress when they hear a well-known voice come over the police radio attached to the Sheriff’s belt.

Between the female’s whimpers, fear is apparent in her shaky words.“I need help!Please, he’s bleeding!”

All three of them open their eyes wide the second they hear Emma’s voice through the airwaves.So focused on Emma’s obvious frightened status, they miss some of the frantic call, only catching her location.

After the three of them meet each other’s eyes for only a second, they all rush to the Sheriff’s emergency vehicle.An ambulance had already been dispatched before Emma’s call even ended.

The Sheriff squeals the tires of his vehicle against the pavement as they drive out of the driveway and race over the Bates’ residence with incredible speed.Silence takes over the inside of the SUV as they try to piece together Emma’s panicky call.The first question to cross all of their minds is if it’s not Emma who is injured, then who is it?

XXXX

Caleb arrives at the house within minutes, driving with uncontrollable haste to get to his injured son.The very moment he arrives, he runs up the many outdoor stairs putting aside his body’s exhaustion because all he can think about is helping Dylan.However, as he tugs on the doorknob to the Bates’ entrance he is easily flustered when it doesn’t budge.

After yanking on the handle a couple of more times while repeatedly banging his left shoulder against the front door, Caleb gives up dealing with the handle and instead bends down and picks up a large landscaping stone sitting near the front of the house.He sloppily pulls off his jacket and wraps it around his right arm.With the stone tightly in his grasp, he pulls his elbow backward and smashes through one of the skinny side windows with all his might, causing the glass to shatter.Stepping on the fragmented glass, Caleb reaches his jacket covered arm through the broken glass and reaches for the inside lock to the door.

Struggling to extend his arm, Caleb finally touches the deadbolt.With a slight smile and a deep inhaled breath, he stretches himself even further while he feels a few pieces of glass cut into his side.With a wince as the new pain registers in his mind, he ultimately uses two fingers to release the inside lock.Hastily, he removes his arm from the now destroyed opened window and easily turns the doorknob before racing inside and heading toward the direction of the basement.

XXXX

Upon arrival at his home, the Sheriff observes the broken out window and the wide open front door from his position in the parking lot.Instinctively, he jumps out of the vehicle and removes his weapon from the holster attached to his hip.Romero then advises the other two occupants in the car to stay put, but of course since both of their children are involved in the situation they couldn’t simply hide in the car.They need to be there for their children, regardless of what danger they may face.

The Sheriff knew he wouldn’t be alone in climbing the many outdoor steps, Norma especially wouldn’t adhere to his orders.While Romero keeps a low-ready position with his gun, his wife and Mr. Decody follow at a comfortable distance.All three of them are on high alert, not sure what to expect when they reach the front door.

When they eventually approach the open entrance, the sound of shoes crunching on the various pieces of strewn glass add an extra amount of anxiety in all three adults.Romero is the first to cautiously enter the doorway, moving flawlessly throughout the front rooms.He finds nothing other than the damaged entryway to be out of the ordinary in the area.

The Sheriff hesitantly re-holsters his gun, but leaves his right thumb on the release just in case he needs to use it.He then turns around to face the other two and waves them in the house, deeming the area safe for the moment.The closer the three of them move toward the open basement door, muffled voices touch their eardrums.Emma’s voice is easily known, but the male’s is a little bit more difficult to decipher.

Since the Sheriff is unable to identify the male merely by his voice, Romero emphasizes the importance to his wife and Mr. Decody to stay back while he moves downstairs.They both reluctantly agree and adhere to the Sheriff’s commands, even though the pair are anxious to investigate alongside Romero.

Only a few seconds pass before Sheriff yells from the bottom of the basement stairs, “NORMA!WIL!GET DOWN HERE NOW!”In an instant, a thundering sound of two pairs of running steps ricochets off of the hollowed walls.Both adults freeze while they witness the scene in front of them.

The noise of multiple sirens break the grief stricken tension of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last one of this fiction! Expect the next one to be longer. Thanks for reading!


	14. Three Little Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dylan's experience of unconsciousness. Also, the family's reaction to his weakening condition and Emma's kidnapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter is told from Dylan's POV, the rest is third person.
> 
> *I had to extend this fiction by one more chapter so there will be 15* Please don't hate me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy...

Day 15 – ** _Dylan_**

The sensation of dainty fingers gently combing through his hair causes the spirit inside him to stir.  The feeling of contentment radiating through her fingertips calms him and briefly makes him forget everything that has happened over the past few weeks.  They never fought the night before she disappeared, she was never betrayed by his brother and he never left her behind.  However, the tranquility of the moment is quickly interrupted when her touch abruptly stops and her weak voice shouts in protest, echoing off the hollowed walls. 

Emma remembers. 

Instantly he wishes to wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace to comfort her as an automatic reaction.  Therefore, without a thought to his own weakening condition he uses all of his strength to force his muscles to hold her, but not even a spasm follows his efforts.  Pain engulfs his body while attempting to move for a second time; however, once again his fight is of no use.  He’s surrounded by blackness without even a hint of light and his lungs feel trapped when he struggles for a breath.  Frustration overwhelms him as he hears her whimper.  He’s powerless, useless and desperate, but he can’t let go.  Hearing her voice travel to his ears, feeling her tears drop onto his frigid skin and even the simple presence of her breath drives his motivation to stay with her.

She’s screaming for him now.  Hearing the heartbreak in her voice, slashes through his broken body and he can feel himself slowly fading away.  He yells against his gradual numbness, willing and pushing himself to become conscious but his voice goes unheard.  Suddenly, her warmth is ripped from underneath his icy fingers and he attempts with all his might to open his eyes in response.  Unfortunately, his eyelids are filled with a weight too difficult to resist.

He can’t seem to break free of the darkness.  

He’s drifting in and out of awareness now, only sensing a shift in movement outside of his control.  The heavy feeling of burden weighs him down as he continues to be somehow moved at the hands of a woman he believes he doesn’t deserve.  She should leave him behind to suffer his own fate, there is no other outcome he’s worthy of.  Yes it is true he unknowingly left her in the clutches of his deranged younger brother, but how could he not notice his brother’s even more peculiar and dangerous behavior in the last few weeks?  How could he even think of moving on without her?  How could he not trust her with their relationship?  He had been too selfish and preoccupied with his own distressed emotions that he couldn’t see what was literally right in front of him.    

He should be ashamed of himself.

Emma shakes Dylan’s soul awake again with a shaky voice, calling out their emergency in a panicked tone.  Time has lapsed at this point, but there’s no way to determine how long he has slipped into a blackout during this spell.  Dylan can feel he’s been situated elsewhere now, no longer in the confining area of the prison Emma has been living in.  He’s still chilled to the bone throughout his body, with not even a hint of outward movement from his toes to the tip of his fingers with his continued strenuous effort.  Even though he isn’t conscious superficially, he can still feel.  The excruciating sharp pains radiating from his side to his back repeatedly jabbing him, the feeling of what he believes is blood pouring from his wounds, but the sensation he is grateful for is the feeling of Emma’s touch, regardless how slight it may be.  

In the end, all of the pain is worth it if he gets the chance to be near her.

Pressure is now being applied to his side, causing him to internally wince at the extra sting.  Emma is no doubt pressing the palm of one of her hands against his wound, trying to slow down the bleeding.  It all seems useless at this point because he knows there’s no saving him.  This is evident by the images of his past playing like a movie in his mind right now.  Some moments are filled with peaceful times causing a contented smile to appear within him, while other memories are best forgotten.  The pictures start to play faster and faster until they are simply a flash of illumination. 

Everything seems dimmer, his body feels colder somehow and Emma’s voice starts to fade with every labored breath he struggles to take.  He’ll never stop fighting to once again experience the light, but even with all of his determination he continues to fall deeper and deeper into fogginess. 

During his steady decline he barely registers the compression applied to his side anymore.  The pain begins to dwindle away along with his sense of touch as his pulse starts to slow.    

XXXX

Emma can feel the life draining slowly from Dylan’s already unresponsive body.  While kneeling uncomfortably next to him, she gazes with sad eyes toward her boyfriend’s peaceful expression.  On any other day seeing him so tranquil would bring a smile to her lips, but at this very moment she can only frown. 

She can’t stop the blood flowing from his side no matter how much pressure she applies, staining both the ground and her hands a deep red color.  The strong smell of metallic invades the already stale air of the basement which only adds to the disturbing scene.  Emma knows she needs to remain calm for him, but she can’t concentrate. 

In attempt to compose herself and focus, she deeply inhales and squeezes her eyes closed for a moment.  With a steady exhale, Emma’s mind gradually becomes clearer and her frantic condition lessens. 

As Emma continues to use her left hand to apply as much pressure as possible to Dylan’s devastating wound, she sneaks her slightly wobbly right palm to the top of his chest.  The vibration from his heart emits through her hand, but she can tell it’s growing weaker by the minute.  Desperate for some sort of response from her boyfriend, she begins to speak.

“Please come back to me,” she cries.  Leaning down to be closer to him, she continues to whisper near his closest ear.  “I love you,” she sniffles.  “I’ve wanted to tell you those words so many times, Dylan.  So many times.”  She sighs loudly, disappointed in herself.  “I don’t even know why I couldn’t tell you.”  Her lips curl into a slight smile as she feels butterflies swirl around in her stomach, shining some sort of lightness onto such a dark situation.  “Honestly, it’s so silly because if you only knew how much I truly love you, you would laugh at how ridiculous I am.”  Emma applies a little more pressure to his chest to feel his slowing heartbeat, wanting to be as close as possible to him.  “I love you,” she giggles.  “Now I can’t stop saying it.” 

Suddenly, Emma’s nervous one-sided conversation stops and her eyes widen dramatically. 

After a couple of seconds of silence, Emma leans down further into Dylan’s chest.  “Oh my God, can you hear me?”  She cries in excitement, feeling his heartbeat pound faster under her touch.  “You can!”  Her tone becomes frantic, but out of delight instead of dread for the first time since she woke up to find him lying lifeless on her thigh.  “Ok, I’m not going to stop talking to you then.  Please just stay with me, Dylan.  I can’t wait to tell you that I love you when you’re awake,” she smiles widely, gently kissing his chilly forehead.

XXXX

Emma is startled by the sound of thunderous footsteps running down the basement stairs.  With a flinch, she looks up to see a grief stricken Caleb staring down at his son.  Immediately he drops to his knees next to Dylan’s other side and for a split second meets Emma’s hopeful eyes before reaching for his son’s motionless hand.  His jaw drops slightly ajar noticing the significant amount of blood streaming from Dylan’s wound and Emma’s red tinted hand lightly pressing down on his chest. 

Caleb’s mind became flooded with a variety of questions in seeing the all too real picture in front of him.  “Jesus!  Emma?  What happened?  Where were you?”  The moment he touches his son’s hand, he cringes.  Dylan’s hand is ice cold.  Afraid Dylan may go into shock from his condition, Caleb makes a move.   There is no time to wait for her answers, he immediately jolts up from his knees and runs upstairs in search of a source of warmth for his son.  The thin piece of material draped over Dylan isn’t enough to keep him warm in the already cool and damp basement.    

In reaching the top of the steps, Caleb races around the house in a panic.  Since Caleb hasn’t been invited inside the Bates’ home more than once, he isn’t exactly sure where he has to go to find what he needs for his son.  Luckily, when he reaches the living room he sees a couple of blankets laying on the couch and a chair in the corner.  With great haste, he scoops up the two warm blankets in his arms and speeds back downstairs. 

Once Caleb returns to the alarming scene downstairs he quickly covers Dylan’s body with Emma’s assistance.  Hearing the faint sound of teeth chattering, Caleb notices Emma is shivering.  He promptly approaches her, takes off his jacket and then wraps it around her shoulders.  “Thank you,” she says with a small shudder and a tiny smile in appreciation while watching the older man resume his previous position on the other side of his son.  “I didn’t even realize I was cold,” she sighs.  “I just can’t bring myself to leave him, even for a second.”

Caleb nods in acknowledgement.  “D-Did you call the Sheriff?”  He stutters, still uncomfortable with the Romero Subject. 

“I called emergency,” she pauses for a moment.  “I’m sure Dylan has Romero’s number in his phone somewhere, but my first thought after speaking to you was to call 911.  Anyway, sometimes Dylan uses nicknames for his contacts and to be honest with their relationship, I have no idea what his name would be listed as.”

“Oh, I see.”  Caleb says quietly, curious as to what name has been assigned to him.

Emma observes his sheepish look.  “You’re listed as ‘Dad”, by the way.”  She raises her eyes to meet his.

His brows lift in surprise, displaying a tiny glint of happiness in his eyes.  “Really?”

“Yes,” she says with a sweet grin.  

XXXX

Emma and Caleb continue to speak with Dylan, hoping he can hear their soothing and encouraging words.  Emma continues to monitor her boyfriend’s heartbeat with her hand never leaving his chest.  The rhythm of his heart continues to beat steadily against her palm.  It’s a weak pulse, but stable. 

The sound of heavy footsteps and creaking stairs disturbs the two leaning over Dylan, who remains unmoving.  Both set of anxious eyes turn to meet the Sheriff with an obvious shocked look written all over his face.  "NORMA! WIL! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" He shouts as his mind registers the severity of the sight in front of him.  

Roaring footsteps run down the stairs in an instant, but the room abruptly becomes silent when Norma and Mr. Decody’s feet touch the ground.  At first glance their faces light up in joy and relief, observing a long lost Emma kneeling down on the concrete near them.  Emma squints, meeting both of their eyes briefly with her own.  However, when Emma breaks eye contact, the two smiling faces soon form into a different type of expression. 

Norma gasps dramatically as the robust smell of copper finally invades her nostrils.  She covers her mouth with a trembling hand and tears instantly race down her cheeks at sight of her eldest son bleeding profusely. Norma drops a purse from her grasp and attempts to rush to her son’s aid.  She doesn’t get far before she feels two strong arms wrap around her waist, causing her to become trapped.  “Let me go!” She screams repeatedly, thrashing violently in the grip of her new husband.

“Shhh, Norma.  Calm down, help will be here soon.”  He speaks softly in the vicinity of her right ear, attempting to subside at least a little of her emotional pain. 

After a couple of minutes of intense fighting, Norma ultimately goes limp in Romero’s embrace.  The tears and loud sobs continue to escape, but she allows the comfort of the Sheriff’s arms to soothe her.

After what seems like hours to Emma, the loud repeated noise of emergency sirens seep through the basement walls. 

“Wil, please direct EMS down here,” the Sheriff orders with his weeping wife still secured in his arms. 

Following the Sheriff’s direction, Mr. Decody nods and hurries upstairs to meet the emergency team.  Within seconds an entire crew of EMS trails the obviously shaken older man to the basement.  Without even a pause, EMS sprint to hover over the motionless young man, shouting various questions at the occupants in the room.  Mr. Decody rushes toward his daughter to force her away from the crowded area surrounding Dylan in order for the emergency crew to assist him more efficiently.

Emma refuses to leave her boyfriend’s side, even as her father tries to pull her away.  Witnessing Mr. Decody struggling to remove his distraught daughter from the now congested space, Caleb rapidly rises from his knees to help.   Once he is close enough, Caleb reaches around her waist and easily yanks her away from the crowded scene.

“He needs me!”  Emma screams, pushing her hands down harshly on Caleb’s arms, desperate to be free of his tightening grasp.  Caleb doesn’t budge though, even as she tries kicking at his shins.    “He can hear me!  Please, he can hear me!”  Mr. Decody’s heart breaks in seeing his daughter in a fight against Caleb’s arms, but he knows this has to be done in order for Dylan to receive the proper care.        

The following minutes are a blur for Dylan’s loved ones.  They stand helpless in watching the medical team exert all of their efforts to stabilize the young man for an emergency transport.  The only noises heard at this critical time are the sounds of EMS flawlessly communicating and the uncontrollable sobs escaping from Emma, who is now secured in her father’s arms.  Norma is oddly silent and stoic at the moment, receiving comfort in her husband’s embrace.

When Dylan is ready to be taken to the hospital, he is carefully yet rapidly lifted upstairs.  Automatically Caleb sprints up the stairs shadowing the emergency team, not even sparing another look for anyone else in the room.  He assumes everyone else will be following right behind him. 

“Can I go with him?”  Emma asks with a quiet and broken voice, directing her attention to the two medics who have been chosen to stay behind.

One of the medics approaches Emma cautiously, responding to her request in a calming tone.  “I’m sorry Miss, but they are already in route to the emergency room.  Trust me, he’s in good hands,” he forces a friendly smile to reassure the young woman.  “Besides we were advised you have also undergone quite an ordeal.  We would like to make sure you are also okay.” 

Emma resists, still desiring to be by Dylan’s side.  She steps out of her father’s loosening hold, but instead of moving closer toward the concerned medic, she makes a run for it.  All she can think about is getting to a car and trailing the ambulance to be with her boyfriend.  However, her plan is interrupted when the other emergency attendant blocks the stairwell. 

“Please, let me just go to him,” she begs with a whimper, trying to meet Norma’s blank stare.  But, her efforts are immediately crushed when she notices Norma has fallen into shock, unable to stand without the Sheriff’s full body support.

Emma shifts her eyes quickly to Romero when she receives no reaction from her boyfriend’s somewhat unresponsive mother.  “Please Sheriff.  I can help him.”

Romero recognizes the red hue tinting her hands in addition to the many red stains embedded in the fibers of her clothes.  “We’re all going to go to the hospital once you’ve been checked over.  You’ve been gone for a long time Emma and we need to make sure you get the medical care you need before we leave.  You may feel alright now, but sometimes we don’t realize when we’re injured, especially in a situation like this.” he sighs softly and focuses his stare in the direction of the young woman.  “I promise you, we’ll go as soon as the medics take a look at you.”  Romero then looks at the two emergency workers.  “Please check on her too,” he says tenderly, blinking down momentarily at his eerily quiet wife.

“Yes sir,” one of the men answers, already walking toward the Sheriff and his wife.

The other medic in the room flashes a tentative smile for Emma.  “Okay miss, let’s step over here and I’m going to take some vitals from you.  Then we’ll be on our way to the hospital.”

She nods slowly and hesitantly follows the path of the medic, careful to avoid the rather large drying pool of blood near them.

While stepping away from the area, the medic reaches for a small light to illuminate the typically dark corner in order to adequately examine Emma’s condition.  “What is that?”  He says suddenly, pointing with one of his index fingers to a smaller shiny object resting close to their feet. 

Emma focuses her attention on following the emergency worker’s extended fingertip.  Curiously, Emma reaches her unsteady right hand down to the item and grabs it from the floor.  While holding the mysterious object between her shaky fingers, her eyes open wide and her jaw tenses.  She had almost forgotten… The key.

“NORMAN!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left, which will include an epilogue. I’m hoping to have chapter 15 done by next weekend. Feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos. I value feedback :) 
> 
> Thank you everyone!


	15. Our Little Piece Of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of previous chapter, 8 days later. An epilogue is also included in this ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SUPER long...
> 
> FYI: I have no idea about medical procedures or even geography, but this is a fiction so just go with it :) 
> 
> Thank you to all my lovely readers! Please enjoy!

Dylan is choking, suffocating and fighting to find the light.

The ironic feeling of emptiness had been steadily spreading from the tips of his toes to the deepest part of his soul, but right now everything seems different.  His lungs burn as they struggle to take a breath, the left side of his torso is flooded with a repeated stabbing pain, and an overwhelming need to cough is considered to be a welcomed change to the nothingness he had been experiencing.  The continuous noise of various beeping tones abruptly pierce his previously deaf eardrums, while random muffled voices gradually grow clearer and more vibrant.

Suddenly, a gentle and acquainted touch to his right hand sends a shiver up his formally deadened spine.  His hand trembles uncontrollably with the increased pressure to his sensitive fingertips while the warmth of the sensation instantly starts to thaw his icy skin. 

A soothing whisper creeps into his right ear, slowly infiltrating his mind.  “Please wake up.”  She sniffles while her voice weakens.  “Open your eyes, Dylan.”

Almost as if on command, Dylan’s eyelids suddenly feel lighter.  Flashes of brightness mesh with animated shadows while his eyes rapidly flicker open.  There’s a moment of tranquility as he gazes into familiar brown eyes, but the peacefulness is soon interrupted when he scans the unrecognizable room and the sting of his throat becomes unbearable.  All of a sudden, his throat is set on fire and the desire to relieve the agony becomes too powerful for him to ignore. 

In a panic, Dylan accidently rips the oxygen tubes from his nostrils and the IVs from his veins while he convulses dramatically.  He can’t breathe, he can’t stop the pain and he can’t remember anything.  All of this is sending him into a full blown anxiety attack. 

In fear, Emma frantically rushes to press the emergency button to call for help. 

In response to the call for assistance and the erratic beeping noises sounding loudly throughout the hospital room, a medical team sprints into the area.  Emma freezes, gasps loudly and covers her face with nervous hands at the sight of Dylan essentially engrossed in a violent battle with himself.  The scene shatters her heart into pieces.  The joy she felt when his eyes briefly connected with hers has now completely disappeared and is replaced with a strong feeling of dread as she watches him struggle against his own body. 

Unable to move a muscle, a nurse hurries toward Emma and then swiftly walks her out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

XXXX

Emma slowly slides her back down the wall next to Dylan’s hospital room door until she fully drops to the ground.  In an effort to comfort herself, she draws her legs up to her chest and then wraps arms around her knees.  She can’t stop the fat tears from rolling down her flushed cheeks or the loud sobs escaping from her lips.  In extreme exhaustion she presses her forehead to the top of her knees and begins to slowly rock back and forth.  Lost in her own thoughts, Emma doesn’t hear Dylan’s door push open nor does she hear the multiple footsteps leading into the busy hospital hallway. 

With a light tap to her shoulder, Emma lifts her forehead from the top of her knees and strains her neck upwards to meet the eyes of the person who had touched her. 

“Oh, Emma.  I’m sorry.”  Nancy, a middle-aged nurse with a kind smile speaks softly as she bends down next to the visibly upset young woman sitting on the floor.  Emma has visited the hospital on a daily basis since Dylan had been admitted 8 days ago, she’s well known by the medical staff.

Emma sniffles.  “How is he?” She asks with a whisper.

The nurse flashes a reassuring smile.  “He’s fine Emma.  We had to sedate him for now, but his vitals are stable.”  She moves to sit down on the cold floor next to Emma, seeking more of a comfortable position.  “He’ll be asleep for a while because of the medicine he was given.  The poor dear had quite a workout in there.” 

Emma squints her eyes in confusion.  “What happened to him?  He was fine for a couple of seconds and then he lost it.” 

“Well, he’s been unconscious for 8 days now.”  The nurse explains hesitantly, not wanting to upset the young woman any further.  “My guess is when he woke up he recognized you right away, but not the room he is in.  Sometimes patients have a difficult time with the breathing tube also, makes them feel like they’re choking.  I believe that’s what he was fighting to remove.  I promise you Emma, he’s better and breathing completely on his own.”  She grins at Emma and then pauses for a moment, waiting to see the young woman’s reaction to the good news.

Emma returns the smile with a twinkle of happiness in her eyes.  “So, he’s really okay?  When can he leave?”  

“Dylan will be here for maybe another couple of days, just so his body can heal a little more.  He’ll need some physical therapy, but he’ll be able to return home very soon.”  The nurse then gradually stands up from the floor.  “Well, I better get back to work.  You should maybe go home and get some rest.  As I said Dylan will be asleep for a little while.  I’m actually going to speak with his mom and the Sheriff to let them know his status.  We’ll see you soon Emma.”

Emma remains seated on the floor outside Dylan’s door for another 15 minutes after the nurse leaves. 

She dreads going back to the Motel and seeing the house on the hill that unfortunately is located right next door.  Terrible memories play back in her mind when she even catches a glimpse of it.  Flashbacks of her time spent in the basement of the house, Norman’s terrifying behavior and worst of all, Dylan’s stabbing causes a hitch in her breath every time she sees that place. 

Norma immediately offered for her to stay in Dylan’s room after he was hospitalized, believing it would somehow bring her comfort to be closer to him even if she couldn’t be with him physically.  Though Norma’s heart was in the right place when she suggested the arrangement, Emma couldn’t and still can’t stomach the idea of stepping foot in that house of horrors ever again.  Instead, she had made the decision to stay in a room at the motel.  Luckily, her father agreed to stay with her in White Pine Bay until Dylan is ready to be released from the hospital.  This at least has brought her a little relief. 

XXXX

After a short nap, a shower and a change of clothes Emma returns to Dylan’s bedside.  Even though he’s still asleep, she is determined to be there when he wakes up.  He needs to be able to see a familiar face and hopefully since his breathing tube has been removed he won’t go into some sort of fright when he regains consciousness this time.

Emma decides to be a bit bold by carefully climbing on top of the bed next to Dylan, curling her body into his non-wounded side and resting the side of her head gently on his shoulder while her fingers tenderly intertwine with his.  It’s calming to hear steady breaths escape his partially open mouth, to see his torso rise and fall rhythmically and to feel the warm touch of his hand in hers. 

Emma feels so relaxed and peaceful lying next to Dylan that her eyelids begin to feel heavy causing her to eventually drift off to sleep.

XXXX

Emma begins to stir from her surprisingly deep slumber with a light squeeze to her fingers and a loud gasp sneaking past her eardrum.  Her head is slightly jostled when Dylan’s shoulders shudder and his body starts to awaken.  Temporarily forgetting where she is, Emma automatically nuzzles her cheek closer to Dylan’s neck and hums sweetly near his ear.    

“Emma?”  Dylan’s broken voice cracks in the stillness of the room, “what- what-  happened?” He stutters, shaking his head slightly while trying to remember.

“Dylan!”  Emma shouts in excitement, causing him to scrunch up his face and flinch dramatically.  She smoothly pulls her hand from his grip to loosely wrap her arm around his torso, avoiding his healing wound.  Happy tears streak down her cheeks while she resists squeezing him too tightly.  “I’ve missed you!”

“Whoa, okay.” He whispers with a little laugh between some shallow coughs, easing the burn in his throat.  “How long have I been here?”

Emma exhales deeply as she sits up and runs her fingers through his hair in a comforting way.  “Try not to be upset,” she speaks in a soft tone.

“Just tell me.”

Emma’s touch stops for a moment.  “Well, um, you’ve been here for over a week.  I’m so sorry, Dylan.”

Squeezing his eyes closed for a moment, memories of the confrontation with his younger brother flood his mind.  All of a sudden his eyes open wide, his hands turn to fists and his jaw clenches tightly.  “Where’s Norman?”  He asks through gritted teeth.

“Shhhh, calm down, Dylan.  Please just relax.”  Emma attempts to soothe his nerves, but it’s too late.  His unexpected anger triggers a variety of beeping noises to echo throughout the room, prompting various medical staff to hurriedly enter with the Sheriff and Norma following closely behind. 

“Where is he!?!  WHERE!?!”  Dylan shouts immediately when he sees Romero and his mother step through the doorway.  Grabbing his injured side, he winces in pain as he struggles to sit up. 

Emma is quickly shifted out of the way by a nurse and guided toward a puffy eyed Norma who immediately wraps the young woman in her arms for support.  “It’s alright sweetie.” Norma says shakily trying to console Emma, even though she too is on the edge of breaking down.  “Everything will be alright.”

After about 15 minutes of tiresome chaos and the doctor’s threat of using more sedatives, Dylan finally calms down and allows the nurses help him.  He’s been asleep for over a week already.  He can’t afford to lose any more time to unconsciousness, especially when he has so many lingering questions. 

So, he relaxes and politely waits until the last of the medical staff steps out the door, closing the door behind them.

Romero’s tone is almost robotic, pushing aside the personal aspects of this case and channeling the law enforcement skills he possesses in dealing with tragedy.  “We need to talk about what happened, Massett.”

“I don’t want her here,” he points with a feeble index finger in the direction of the two teary eyed females near the door.  “Don’t you get it?  This is all her fault.  Emma’s kidnapping, Norman’s breakdown, the stabbing.  Don’t you see it Mr. Sheriff, it all leads back to her.” His voice still weakened, but the words he uses cut deep for his mother.

Emma now becomes the one providing comfort as Norma begins to sob uncontrollably in her arms at her son’s accusations.  “He doesn’t mean it,” Emma whispers in between her own sniffles to her mother figure.  “He’s just upset.”

Romero’s stoic expression disappears and is replaced with resentment as he sees his wife’s shoulders tremor while she cries.  “That’s enough,” he grits through his teeth before turning around to approach the distressed women.   The look on his face abruptly softens when he reaches them.  “Maybe it’s best if you two wait outside while I speak with him,” he says quietly as he cautiously removes Norma from Emma’s loosened grip and embraces her briefly in his hold instead.  “I’ll talk to him.  He’s not thinking clearly right now.”  Romero murmurs while placing a tender kiss on her forehead.  Norma nods as Emma reluctantly escorts her out of the room, securely closing the door behind them.

XXXX

Romero stands at the foot of Dylan’s bed with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.  “Don’t ever say something like that again!  Do you hear me!?!”  He increases the forcefulness of his voice without the volume and then immediately changes to a softer tone when a wave of sympathy for his stepson hits him like a brick wall.  As a law enforcement officer, Romero knows he needs to be empathetic toward a victim but that’s not always easy to remember when his wife is on the receiving end of such disrespect from the victim.  “I understand you have gone through a lot here-“

Dylan interrupts Romero and rolls his eyes in response.  “Whatever, Mr. Sheriff.  Deep down you know I’m right,” he mutters in annoyance.

“The only one to blame for all of this is Norman and you know that, so stop trying to blame your mother for this.  She is doing everything thing she can for both of her sons.” 

Dylan smirks.  “Yeah, sure she is.  You are completely clueless.”

Romero quirks an eyebrow in curiosity.  “And why is that?”

“She can never deal with Norman,” Dylan sighs.  “She lets him get away with murder… well, almost murder in my case.”  He chuckles lightly to himself, but Romero is noticeably not amused by the look on his face.  “Alright, too soon.  My point is, if she would’ve kept him in that facility then none of this would’ve happened.  Emma and I would be happy living our lives together in Seattle, you would have a Norman-free house and you would actually have a chance at having a decent marriage.  But, she ruined all of that because she couldn’t handle disappointing Norman.  It’s always been that way and it will always be that way.  You’re pretty naïve if you haven’t figured that out already.”

“Are you finished now so I can tell you exactly what happened and where Norman is?”  Romero glares at his step-son who is currently avoiding his stare by looking anywhere but in the Sheriff’s direction, pretending not to listen.  “Isn’t that what you wanted to know during your little outburst earlier?  Where he is?”

Dylan focuses his attention back to Romero and huffs.  “Yeah, fine.  Where is he then?”

“He’s in the state mental facility and most likely won’t be released for a very long time.  He’s allowed zero contact with anyone outside of law enforcement and medical staff.”  The Sheriff’s lips curl into a slight smirk.  “I believe he’s strapped to a bed as we speak.”

Dylan grins in response, but then his jaw tightens.  “Do you think you’ll really be able to keep Norma and Norman apart for long?  I’m sure she’ll work her magic on you and you’ll be happily escorting her to that place in no time.”

“Well… actually that’s impossible, Massett.”  Romero replies, uncrossing his arms.

“Why?”

“Because this isn’t a voluntary program.  Even if your mother could somehow convince me to allow her to visit him, I couldn’t.”

Dylan flashes an almost sinister smile.  “I’m sure Norma is thrilled about all of this,” he mumbles sarcastically. 

“You don’t give your mother enough credit.”  Romero sighs out of exasperation.  “She even slipped into shock when she saw you bleeding on her basement floor.  So don’t even suggest to me that she doesn’t care about you.  Even when we discovered Norman in the room he kept Emma in, she only thought of your safety.”  The Sheriff points his right index finger forcefully in the young man’s direction, demanding his attention.  “I will not hear you disrespect her anymore or belittle her feelings for both of her sons.”

Dylan attempts to divert his eyes from the Sheriff’s again, feeling uncomfortable with his stepfather’s glare.  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he whispers while holding a quivering hand to his wound as a sharp pain shoots up his side causing him to cringe. 

After a few minutes of silence, Romero’s words about Norma start to sink in for Dylan.  His bitterness toward his mother gradually begins to fade, but he can’t stop the feeling of doubt still lingering.  He’s not ready to deal with the complicated relationship between him and his mother at the moment, it’s too overwhelming.  Letting out a loud and dramatic sigh, he briefly squeezes his eyes shut and attempts to clear his head. 

Sensing the change in the demeanor of his stepson, the Sheriff decides to change the subject.  He contemplates allowing the young man to rest, but ultimately he decides to push forward with his investigation.   Romero clears his throat to relieve the tension that has steadily grown in the room and then cautiously proceeds with questions.  “I know you are probably feeling overwhelmed with everything right now, but I still need to speak with you about what happened in that basement.”

Dylan groans and then hesitantly focuses his attention back to the Sheriff. 

Romero pulls a chair closer to Dylan’s bedside and sits down, ready to listen to the young man’s story.  “So, what can you tell me about all of this?”

**10 minutes later…**

The Sheriff pulls a small notebook and ink pen from his shirt pocket, ready to write everything Dylan says word for word.  “I would like you to go over the fight with Norman one more time for me.  I want to make sure I have the details.  Start again at the part when you see Emma.”

Dylan rolls his eyes and complains under his haggard breath.  “Fine.  I saw Emma sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.  Her eyes were almost shut, but opened wider when she noticed me.  I felt a sharp pain in my side which spread to my back and then I fell.  When I tried to look at Emma again and her eyes were closed.”

Romero nods.  “Alright, go on.”

“Well, I felt really weak all of a sudden and my vision got kind of hazy.  When I saw Emma again, just slumped over like that.  I lost it.”  He glances downward for a second and then takes a slow, deep breath.  “It was strange because suddenly the pain in my side didn’t hurt as much and I felt some sort of burst of energy hit me.  I was angry.”

“So, it sounds like your endorphins kicked in.  A common thing to happen under stress,” Romero informs with a slight smirk.

“Yeah that’s exactly what happened.  Anyway, everything became a blur and before I even realized what was happening, I hit him.  Before you ask, yes I hit him with my fist.  And, well, the back of his head bounced off the wall behind him.  I saw him drop to the ground and his eyes eventually close.”  Dylan pauses for a moment before continuing with an insecure voice as he remembers more of the incident.  “When I saw Norman fall like that, I knew I had to get to Emma but I didn’t have any more energy left.  I felt like collapsing, which I guess I ended up doing.  So, I started to sort of drag myself over to Emma, but then I saw this key laying on the ground.  I figured it could be important so I grabbed it as I continued to move toward Emma.”

The Sheriff stops writing to glance over at Dylan.  “The key was important after all.  It turned out to be for the lock on the door to that room.  After Emma locked Norman in there, we were able to open the door from the outside with the key and get him out.”    

“Well, I’m glad I grabbed it I guess,” Dylan smirks, while applying pressure to his wound.  “Anyway, I just remember being close to Emma and then everything going dark after that.”

Silence fills the air when Dylan finishes giving his statement. 

After a few minutes, the Sheriff breaks the quietness with his deep voice.  “I appreciate your time Massett.  I promise we are doing everything we can in dealing with Norman.  As I mentioned, at least you and Emma can take some comfort in knowing Norman can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Dylan nods reluctantly in agreement, but he still has doubts.  “Nothing is a guarantee Sheriff,” he sighs.  “I hope for the best, but I expect the worst when it comes to my little brother.  I trust you to do everything you can to keep him in that hospital.”

“I can assure you Massett, I will personally supervise this.”

Dylan raises an eyebrow.  “Isn’t that some sort of conflict of interest?”

Romero smirks and gives a tiny wink.  “Well, I believe I can work around that.”  He then shoves his notebook and pen back into his pocket, slowly stands up from his chair and moves it back to its original position.  “Get some rest, we’ll talk more later.”

Walking toward the door, the Sheriff stops for a second and turns to face Dylan again.  “Anything you want me to tell your mom?”

After a long pause, Dylan flashes a tiny but genuine smile.  “You can tell her-“  he stutters awkwardly.  “Um…you can tell her, I’ll talk to her later.”

“Sure.”  Romero returns the smile.  “Do you want me to send in Emma?  I’m sure she’s anxious to spend more time with you.”

Dylan nods enthusiastically in response as he watches his stepfather walk out of the room.

XXXX

Romero walks out of Dylan’s room and straight into the waiting area.  Immediately he sees Emma’s arms wrapped tightly around his teary eyed wife and pauses for a few seconds.  Norma’s hands tremble with each sniffle and her chest heaves with every gasp while her damp cheek leans against the frail shoulder of the young woman she considers to be her daughter.

With a saddened expression at the sight of the two distressed women, Romero strides through the room until he reaches them.  Quickly he forms his lips into a tiny smile, hoping the positive news he will be sharing regarding Dylan will ease their misery.  “I can take over from here,” the Sheriff advises with a soothing tone as both women strain their necks upward at the sound.  “He would like to see you, Emma.”

Emma smiles and nods eagerly while unraveling her arms from her mother-figure.  “Thank you!”  She almost shouts as she promptly stands up from her seat and rushes in the direction of Dylan’s hospital door. 

“I have good news for you.” Romero advises as he sits down, taking Emma’s place promptly draping his arms around her in a tight embrace.  “He wants to see you.”

Norma pulls back with widened eyes and a large grin instantly shapes her face. “He does!?! 

The Sheriff returns the smile.  “Yes.  I advised him how distraught and concerned you were when you saw him.  I believe hearing those words allowed him to realize you care about him as much as you do Norman.  I think ultimately that is what he was really upset about, believing you don’t care about him.”

“But, I do Alex!”  She leans forward and touches both sides of his face with her finger tips, this time with happy tears falling down her flushed cheeks.  Leaning forward she taps his forehead with her lips in a brief kiss.  This automatically triggers him to meet her eyes and join her lips with his in a tender kiss in return.  “When can I see him?”  She asks with pleading eyes, gradually pulling her hands away from his face to snuggle closer into his hold.

“Let’s let those two have their time together and then if he’s not too tired today, you can speak with him,” he smiles.  “Everything will be alright Norma.”

She happily hums against his chest in response.  Her eldest son willing to talk with her fills her soul with genuine contentment; however, she can’t seem to stop the feeling of sadness regarding her youngest son.  At least the idea of repairing the relationship with Dylan offers a pleasant distraction and brings her some relief out of all of this tragedy.

XXXX

After being given notice that Dylan had asked for her, Emma eagerly steps through the doorway of his hospital room.  “Hi,” she announces excitedly as she paces toward her boyfriend but then abruptly stops in front of his bed.  Seeing him lying in the bed before her once again brings a flashback to her thoughts.  The memory of Dylan being stabbed in front of her and seeing the life suddenly drain from his eyes continues to haunt her on a daily basis. 

Flashing a fond grin upon noticing Emma, Dylan waves for her to step closer and lightly pats the right side of his bed with his hand as a hint for her to lie down next to him.  Following Dylan’s request, Emma shakes the memories from her mind, rushes to his side and cautiously climbs on the bed next to him.  With dried tear streaked cheeks, Emma returns his smile and carefully slips down to cuddle next to him.  She lightly rests her head on his shoulder and places the palm of her right hand on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Emma nuzzles closer to his side when she feels the gentle touch of his left hand on top of her right, curling his fingers around hers in a loose grip.   “I need to tell you something.” She whispers timidly, tilting her neck upwards against his shoulder in an attempt to meet his eyes.

Dylan turns to peer at her through his right eye while she speaks.  “This sounds serious.”  He responds with a hint of worry in his voice.

Propping her weight on her left elbow she gazes into his eyes, wanting to experience every emotion written on his face after she says the words she has been meaning to say to him for what seems like an eternity.  With confidence she puts her fears of rejection aside.  “I love you.”  She blurts out quickly before she would stop herself and then flashes a nervous, yet genuine smile.

Dylan smirks.  “I know.”

Her eyes widen in surprise while her smile drops a bit.  “What?  How do you know?  I mean, I’ve wanted to say those words to you for months but I’ve been too scared to.  It’s dumb I-”

He immediately interrupts her.  “I heard you,” he clears his dry and still sore throat.  “Um, well, I heard you when I was unconscious.  I heard everything actually.  Well, at some point I didn’t but I heard mostly you,” he grins.

Without any hesitation she moves her hand from his chest to his left check and leans down to place a kiss to his warm, yet dry lips.  She pulls away to look into his eyes with tears pooling in the corner of hers.  “This is going to change everything, isn’t it?”

His lips curl into a menacing smile.  “Yes.”

XXXX

**3 months later…**

The sun shines through the almost translucent fabric covering the large open window to warm the side of Emma’s cheek causing her to slowly flutter her eyes open.  A calming breeze lifts the featherlike material over the window every once in a while, making her skin shiver under the slight chill.  She sighs contently with a smile at the sound of steady breaths seeping through parted lips from the body lying next to her.  Emma can’t help but take a moment to gaze upon Dylan’s face fondly and continue to memorize every feature, as she secretly does every morning.  His bare arm is draped around her waist loosely, leaving a feeling of safety and comfort to radiate throughout her body.  She remains motionless, staring at him with drowsy yet affectionate eyes, soaking in every feeling of tranquility and happiness her emotions could possibly hold.

When the sunshine becomes too tempting to ignore, Emma decides to make a move.  With a yawn she carefully unravels herself from Dylan’s embrace and places his arm gently on a pillow as an attempted replacement for her.  Wiping her tired eyes awake with the palms of her hands, she slowly sits up but sharply stops from moving when she notices a reminder of the not so distant past.  Seeing Dylan’s now completely exposed left side, the sensation of happiness quickly switches to sorrow as she continues to glare.  With a tiny gasp at the haunting memory, Emma reaches her hand toward the now healed wound and carefully traces the scar with her fingertips.  His skin shudders slightly under the tender touch, but he remains asleep.  Blinking the new tears away, Emma wills herself to move off the bed and then tip toes out of the room. 

Tentatively stepping through the house with an occasional sniffle, Emma’s mood suddenly improves in seeing the sunshine illuminate throughout the rest of the small house.  As if being drawn toward the outdoors by the smell of fresh air, she enthusiastically opens the patio door and steps outside.  Feeling the sand beneath her feet immediately brings a smile to her face while she watches small waves move across the water.  She inhales deeply through her nose while squeezing her eyes shut for a moment in an attempt to wipe her mind of past nightmares.   Exhaling slowly and blinking her eyes open, she wraps her arms tightly around herself to keep herself warm under the morning chill. 

She’s happy now. 

If only she could remember that before the bad memories sneak back into her mind.

XXXX

Norma rests her elbows on the kitchen table in front of her as she brings a cup of coffee to her lips with wobbly hands.  Norma shifts slightly in her seat while staring at nothing as she allows her mind slip into the past.  In deep thought she doesn’t acknowledge the familiar footsteps that join her in the room. 

Romero hesitantly approaches his wife with a concerned look on his face.  “Norma?”  He asks quietly.

Norma flutters her eyes and tilts her head upward to focus on him.  Her eyes follow his as he pulls out the chair next to her and sits down.  “I’m sorry.  My mind is somewhere else today.  I’ll get you some coffee honey.” She flashes a forced smile and moves her chair backward to stand up.

The Sheriff leans over, gently places the palms of his hands on her shaking thighs to steady her nerves.  “I don’t need any coffee Norma.  I think we should talk.”

Norma slightly gasps and briefly closes her eyes to control the tears threatening to form.  “Okay,” she responds with an unsteady voice.

“I thought this day may be difficult for you, but I’m here to help,” he assures while using his right thumb to wipe away a stray tear off her cheek.

Norma whimpers.  “It’s been a month since the trial,” she sighs.  “A month since the judge sentenced my baby to stay in that place.”  She starts to sob almost hysterically.  “The look on his face when they took him away broke my heart, Alex.”

Romero moves off his seat and kneels down next to his wife, taking her hands in his.  “He had been staying in that hospital since he was initially arrested a few months ago.  The doctors informed the judge he had been making some progress there,” he sighs.  “Norma, your son needs help, more help than any of us can provide.  This is what is best for him, trust me.”

Lowering her eyes to her lap briefly, she squeezes her husband’s hands tighter.  “I know it is better for him, but it’s still upsetting not being allowed to see my baby.”  She pauses for a moment.  ‘Seeing him sitting in a court room with handcuffs is not enough!”   

The Sheriff stands while lifting her from her seat by their tangled fingers.  Immediately he loosens his grip and moves his hands to cup her face tenderly, tilting her head upwards to meet his eyes.  “I know you want to visit him, but right now he needs to work on himself.  We don’t know what the future holds for any of us, Norma.  Let’s just take all of this one day at a time.”

She nods her head in his hands.  “I know you’re right,” she whimpers.

Romero leans down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead and then connects their lips, heatedly.  He gradually pulls away with a small smirk.  “Do you feel better?”

Norma giggles with tears still streaking down her cheeks. “You always make me feel better.  Can we finish this a little later?  I really need to make a call, then I promise I’m all yours.”

Without removing the smirk on his face, Romero leans in again and places an innocent kiss to her lips.  “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

XXXX

Dylan groans in his pillow when the familiar sound of his ringtone screeches in his sensitive morning ears.  Slapping his hand around on the top of his nightstand to sloppily feel for his phone, he finally reaches it in annoyance.  “Hello.”  He answers sleepily, slowly sitting up in his bed with his phone secured in his right hand.  A small frown forms on his face when he notices the other side of the bed is empty and a tad bit cold.

A chipper female voice responds from the other line.  “Hi honey.”

Glancing at the large wall clock hanging in the bedroom, he notices it’s only 6:15 in the morning.  He yawns loudly with a roll of his eyes.  “Did you forget the time difference again, Norma?”

After a stretch of awkward silence, Norma nervously replies in an almost inaudibly volume.  “Oh, you’re still in Costa Rica?”

Dylan sighs out of exasperation.  “Yes Norma, we’re still here.”

“But, it’s been almost three weeks sweetie.  That’s quite a long vacation.”

He clears the tightness in his throat, already frustrated with this conversation.  “She hasn’t been ready to come back.”

Norma becomes concerned.  “Is she still having the flashbacks?”

Dylan wedges his cell between his right shoulder and jaw in order move the bedsheet from his lap.  Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he pauses for a moment as he once again secures the phone in his right grip.  “Yeah, but they’re not happening as much since we got here.  They’re pretty rare actually.”    

Norma smiles, even though it can’t be seen by her son through the phone line.  “That’s wonderful news sweetheart.  So, she should be ready to come back any day now?”

Dylan touches the bottom his feet to the soft carpet and gradually stands up from his bedside.  Walking around the room, he grows more uncomfortable with this conversation by the minute. 

He has a secret, but he can’t share it with his mother just yet.  “Um, well, maybe she is?  I don’t know?”  He sighs.  “I really just need to speak with Emma about everything before we make any plans.  Being here is helping her, I can see the difference and I don’t want to rush her into anything.”

Sensing her son’s reluctance to speak further about Emma, Norma quickly changes the subject.  “Ok honey.”  Another spell of noiselessness occupies the phone line between mother and son until Norma can’t handle the silence any longer.  “I just thought I’d call because of, well, you know what today is.”

Suddenly, Dylan realizes the true purpose of his mother’s call which leaves him feeling a tinge of guilt.  Of course this is a difficult day for Norma.  At the memory of this date a month ago he quickly changes his tone from harsh to comforting.  “Mom, I’m sorry.  Yeah I remember.  Are you doing okay?”

Norma takes a deep breath and blinks away any tears before they fall.  “It was difficult this morning for me, but Alex talked me through it.  Norman is where he needs to be, I understand that now.”

Dylan grins as he slowly paces around the room.  “I’m proud of you, mom.”

XXXX

After an additional 15 minutes of speaking with his mother, Dylan pulls on a t-shirt and exchanges his pajama pants for a loose fitting pair of sweatpants.  He then strides toward the backdoor to walk outside, he doesn’t even have to guess where Emma is. 

His speculation is correct when he sees Emma standing in the sand, surrounded by the breezy fresh air and watching the waves travel smoothly across the water.  He approaches her with caution, slowly snakes his arms around her waist and then leans over to hook his chin over her shoulder.  “Hey,” he whispers in her left ear.  “You weren’t next to me this morning.”

Emma freezes when she feels two strong arms hug her close.  “The sun forced me outside.”  She covers his hands with hers and then leans her head backward to rest against his broad chest. 

Dylan chuckles lightly.  “Oh really?”

“Yes,” she says with a timid smile.  “I also took a stroll along the beach for a bit.”

Spinning her around slowly in his arms to face him, he tilts his head downward to kiss her on the forehead.  “I would’ve come with you.”

Emma nuzzles in closer to his touch.  “I know, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

Embracing her a little snugger in his hold, his mind starts to spin.  Dylan worries about revealing a secret he’s been keeping to himself for almost two weeks, but time is running out at this point and he needs to discuss this with her.  “Emma, I need to talk to you about something.”

Emma raises a brow at his obvious nervousness which is now making her anxious as well.  “Okay?”

Dropping his arms from her waist, he grabs for her hands instead and then interlocks their fingers.  Taking a deep inhale and exhale, Dylan proceeds to speak.  “So, I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago.  I was given an interesting opportunity.”

Emma’s eyes open wide and her hands tremble in his.  “What kind of opportunity?”

“My old boss contacted me and well, he offered me my job back.”  Dylan’s eyes immediately search hers in an attempt to read her reaction.  “Apparently, the guy who was hired after me was let go about three weeks ago and he needs a replacement.  This is the job I worked at for a few days before traveling back to White Pine Bay to help find you.  I guess Caleb told him I was here visiting.”

She tightens her grip and looks down briefly before looking up to meet his eyes again.  “You mean we could stay here?  In Costa Rica?” 

“Yeah, I mean if you want?”  He continues to ramble out of uneasiness, his voice growing quieter as he carries on.  “I know this house is tiny, but it could be ours if you want it.  My old boss and Caleb are willing to loan me some money to assist us with buying this place.  I’m not trying to pressure you here because honestly, I’ll follow you anywhere Miss Decody.  I was just talking to Norma on the phone this morning and I didn’t want to tell her anything until I talked to you.  Now I guess-“

Emma rapidly interrupts Dylan with a kiss.  “YES!”  She screams out of excitement, causing him to wince at the loud and sudden sound.  “I love it here!  I love the house.  I love the beach in the backyard and most of all I love you!”  She rips her hands from his grip and hastily wraps her arms around his neck to forcefully pull his face down to hers.  As an automatic reaction he reaches around her waist and embraces her securely in his hold, tenderly joining his lips with hers. 

Emma pulls away and lightly presses her forehead against his with a slight heaving breath. 

“Our little piece of heaven.”  She whispers with a bright smile, before she feels a familiar pair of lips softly press against hers yet again.

****Well, that’s it… The End****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of my readers! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :) I appreciate your opinions, so please feel free to comment… 
> 
> **FYI** I'm sorry if you're looking for my other two stories (series) - "Struggle Within" and "Hidden Intentions." I have deleted them. I have disliked this series for awhile now and feel the fiction does not reflect my writing anymore.
> 
> I may try rewriting that type of subject again (PTSD, amnesia, etc), but in a completely different way. I apologize if this was a series you were reading. I hope you understand. 
> 
> Thank you again everyone!


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